That Blanche Evan’s article had us thinking again. While public data on your home is unlikely to be controllable, what if an owner choses not to have Zillow attach a public Zestimate tag on their property for all to see?
Let’s say the owner is selling and the Zestimate is grossly inaccurate (for whatever reason) and the seller does not want to wait for Zillow to make the correction? Can an owner opt-out of the Zestimate? Instead of the “Do Not Call” list, you would register on the “Do Not Zillow” list. Do owners have any choice here?
Will Zillow honor an owner’s “UnZestimate My Home” request? We checked the Zillow question section and the answer is unclear. Naturally, they don’t have to delete public data. But is a Zestimate public information or a proprietary valuation created by Zillow “using” public information? Factual public data and a calculated valuation don’t seem to be in the same class of fruit. We can see the property sharks (lawyers) all over this one–Interference with prospective economic advantage, false advertising, house libel (we made this up).
Lest we be accused of Zillow bashing, let our position be clear. We support a public’s right to access to information, including Zillow’s, to use as they see fit. We also support a property owner’s right to choose when it comes to their most valuable asset. If I’m selling my house for one price, I may not want you to put your grossly inaccurate price tag on it. It’s akin to mislabeling. That’s just our opinion folks.
Does a seller really want two different public price tags on their property?
Technorati Tags: zillow, unzillowable, zestimate, property, home, owners, opt-out real estate, sellsius
This is the best post regarding Zillow in quite some time. Can Zillow actually hurt a seller’s fair market price? I doubt it at this point, but I would hate to see an individual harmed due to Zillow’s grossly inaccurate results in many areas.
If you read the zillow blog comments, there have been complaints about inaccurate zestimates.
It’s not just the value of real estate that Zillow measures. It can also affect your wages.
In the recent research study, “Career Industry Megatrends” published by CareerDirectors International, it was revealed that having the value of your home floating out there in cyberspace gives hiring recruiters the opportunity to find out if you live in a trailer or a mansion, and they may just set your salary accordingly based on what they think your bills are. An address, on a resume also gives identity thieves an idea of your monthly house payment, which aids them in filling out credit applications in your name.
Until zillow offers the opportunity to unzestimate, I suggest leaving your address off your resume and cover letter. Few companies mail will mail you anything anymore.
Susan Geary
Professional Resume Writer
1st Rate Resumes