For most things in life, technology is a beautiful tool that makes our days run more smoothly. But let’s be honest—it’s also made us a little slower and a lot more reliant, and real estate is no exception. Zillow and its powerful “Zestimate” tool have taken center stage in our market here in Reno, influencing how people buy, sell, and value their homes. We all check Zestimates, talk about them, and sometimes even base one of the biggest financial decisions of our lives on them. If you’ve somehow avoided the Zillow rabbit hole, a Zestimate is the number Zillow assigns to suggest what your home is worth. It’s calculated using public data, recent sales, and, let’s be real, a little math magic.
All fine and dandy—except that even Zillow admits their Zestimates are typically off by 5–10%. And that’s where things get tricky. Our team strives to set realistic expectations and position our sellers for success, but Zillow’s algorithms have made that increasingly difficult. Too often, sellers fixate on a number that doesn’t reflect market reality. We frequently see homes listed 20% above what comparable sales support, sitting on the market far longer than the median timeline, only to ultimately sell for 10–15% less than they could have if priced correctly from the start. Reno’s housing market is a moving target, with high-demand zip codes like 89509, 89519, and 89511 causing home values to fluctuate constantly. There’s no one-size-fits-all formula—every home is unique, and every neighborhood behaves differently. That’s why it’s so important for sellers to be informed and educated, rather than anchored to a number they spotted online one sleepy evening.
Yes, we live in an era when information is at our fingertips and everyone’s a self-proclaimed market expert, but the most reliable way to determine a home’s true value is still a trusted local real estate professional. Realtors who live and work in Reno—like the Kirsch Team—study this market every single day. Just as wealth managers track the stock market, we analyze neighborhood trends, active listings, sold comps, interest rates, and buyer behavior. That day-in, day-out research allows us to provide clients with clarity and confidence when making one of life’s biggest financial decisions. Running numbers is essential, but truly understanding Reno’s market trends, having conversations with lenders, title officers, appraisers, and other agents, and experiencing the market firsthand is what makes all the difference. That’s what turns a Zestimate into an informed, educated decision—and that’s exactly where we come in.
