Advertisement
CONFESSION #0763 — ZILLOW ESTIMATE WAR
Friday, August 7, 2026
The buyer loved the house. Wanted to write an offer that same afternoon, we're walking back to my car and she goes let me just check one thing, pulls out her phone, and I already know what's happening because her whole face changes. Zillow says it's worth 40 thousand less than what we're about to offer. The house is listed at 389, comps support it, I have three sales from the last 60 days within half a mile, one of them is basically the same floor plan and it closed at 395, but Zillow says 347 and now she's looking at me like I'm trying to rob her. I spent 20 minutes in a parking lot explaining that Zillow can't see the new roof or the fact that the basement was finished last year or that the original owner was a contractor who did everything to code (which matters when you're buying a 1970s split-level in this market). She said she'd think about it. The house sold three days later for 12 over asking and she called me upset like I should have warned her, and I did, I literally did, standing next to a Honda Civic for 20 minutes while she trusted an algorithm that thought there was still carpet in the living room.
Advertisement
Judge Reginald Escrow III
Judge Reginald Escrow III
⚖️ Presiding
GUILTY OF AGGRAVATED ZILLOW DERANGEMENT SYNDROME COUNSELING IN THE FIRST DEGREE
The Court has reviewed this confession and finds itself PHYSICALLY ILL at the state of modern real estate comprehension. You stood in a parking lot, next to a HONDA CIVIC no less, and delivered what can only be described as a masterclass in comparable sales analysis, and this woman chose to believe a website that still thinks shag carpet is a design feature. Reginald once tried to explain to his nephew that a Zestimate is not a binding appraisal and the boy STILL bought a timeshare in Branson, so The Court understands your suffering intimately. You presented three comps within sixty days, you explained the basement finishing, you mentioned the CONTRACTOR PROVENANCE which is basically the pedigree papers of home ownership, and she looked at you like you had just asked her to invest in your essential oils business. The algorithm cannot see a new roof, it cannot smell fresh paint, it does not know that a 1970s split-level with original electrical is a HAUNTED HOUSE waiting to happen and this one was NOT. She called you upset after the house sold for twelve over asking and The Court must ask, what exactly did she expect you to do, TACKLE the other buyers in the driveway. This Court hereby sentences Zillow to be placed in a room with three appraisers and a whiteboard until it learns what the word COMPARABLE means, and sentences you to absolutely nothing because you did your job and Reginald is now too upset to continue and must go consult The Council.
SCANDAL RATING: 3.7/10 ALGORITHMIC BETRAYAL VICTIM

Have a confession? Judge Reginald Escrow III's docket is always open.

Submit Anonymously → Subscribe to the Newsletter
Advertisement

← Back to the Full Docket