Treat automated estimates as a rough starting point that can miss by six figures on the wrong house. Zestimates, Redfin, CoreLogic, House Canary and the rest are automated valuation models (AVMs): algorithms matching bedroom and bathroom count, square footage, lot size, and some sales history. What they cannot see is condition, interior upgrades versus original finishes, views, lot orientation, or proximity to a busy road, which is exactly where a lot of a home's real value lives. Accuracy depends heavily on your neighborhood. A tract of near-identical floor plans gives the algorithm clean comps and a decent read. A unique property, or one flanked by much smaller and much larger homes, can be off by six figures because the model cannot adjust for the differences. The estimates are also easily swayed. Put a home on the market and the AVM snaps its number toward the new list price almost immediately, treating the listing itself as fresh signal, which means a market full of overpriced listings drags the estimates with it. Two major sites commonly disagree by tens of thousands on the same house, and four different tools can spread more than a hundred thousand apart. For a number you can actually plan around, get an agent's manual comparable analysis on your specific property. Use the online estimates for a ballpark and, honestly, for fun.