Zillow: A Guide to Zillow's Real Estate Listings and Tools (2024)

Affiliate links for the products on this page are from partners that compensate us (see our advertiser disclosure with our list of partners for more details). However, our opinions are our own. See how we rate mortgages to write unbiased product reviews.

• Zillow enables users to find a home, connect with a real estate agent, get a mortgage, and more.
• Zillow is popular among buyers and renters for its home listings, but it also offers tools for sellers, agents, and landlords.
• Zestimates can help both buyers and sellers estimate a property's value, but they aren't always accurate.

Zillow has positioned itself as a one-stop shop for housing. On it, you can find and list houses for sale or rent, get a mortgage, find a real estate agent, and more. It's a beneficial tool for buyers, sellers, agents, and landlords alike.

What is Zillow?

History and mission of Zillow

Zillow was launched in 2006 by Expedia co-founders Rich Baron and Lloyd Frink with the goal of providing a way for consumers to see home listings and values online.

Zillow's role in the real estate market

Today, Zillow dominates the housing search market, hosting millions of home listings and generating billions of dollars in revenue each year.

In addition to its flagship website and app, Zillow also owns Zillow Rentals, Zillow Premier Agent, Zillow Home Loans, rental search sites HotPads and Out East, and the real estate listing sites StreetEasy and Trulia. It also has companies that sell software for real estate professionals.

How Zillow works

Searching for homes on Zillow

If you're looking to purchase a home, Zillow makes it easy to find for-sale homes in your area that meet your needs and price range.

Start your search by entering the area you want to look at homes in. You can search by address, city, ZIP code, or even look at specific neighborhoods.

Then you can narrow down your search by setting a price range, the number of bedrooms and bathrooms you're looking for, and home type (if you're looking for a specific type of house, such as a townhouse). Zillow offers additional settings to really personalize your search, allowing you to filter out homes with high HOA fees or no garage, for example.

Zillow's Zestimates: How accurate are they?

Zillow offers free market value estimates, called Zestimates, for over 100 million homes in the U.S. Zestimates are popular with both homeowners and homebuyers because they offer an easy way to get a sense of what a property might be worth. But they aren't always super accurate.

Zestimates are calculated using public data, information from multiple listing services (private databases run by real estate professionals), and market trends. Zillow publishes data on how accurate its Zestimates are in different states and metro areas in the U.S., and notes that active listings tend to have more accurate Zestimates compared to homes that aren't currently on the market.

Nationwide, Zillow says that active listing Zestimates come within 20% of the sales price over 97% of the time (meaning the Zestimate was off by 20% or less from what the home actually sold for), and they're within 5% of the sales price 77% of the time.

Selling your home on Zillow

If you're selling, making sure your home is listed on Zillow is a good way to ensure that prospective buyers see it, since so many browse the site for properties.

If you're working with a real estate agent to sell your home, the listing should appear on Zillow automatically. If you're selling your house without professional representation, you can list it on Zillow yourself as a "for sale by owner" property.

Zillow rentals: Finding the right rental property

Zillow also lists properties for rent. You can search for rentals in your area that meet your needs and price range. If you own a rental property, you can use Zillow Rental Manager to list the property, screen tenants, and collect rent payments.

Zillow 3D Home tours and virtual tours

Zillow has an app called Zillow 3D Homes that sellers and their agents can use to create virtual tours of their homes. These tours allow users to click through the home and see its layout as though they were doing a walk through.

Zillow mortgage calculator

Homebuyers who are planning to use a mortgage to finance their home purchase can use Zillow's mortgage calculator to estimate how much house they can afford.

A mortgage calculator lets you see what your monthly mortgage payment will look like based on home price, down payment amount, and interest rate. They can be helpful tools for those who aren't sure what their homebuying budget should look like.

Zillow Premier Agent program

Real estate professionals may benefit from Zillow Premier Agent, a service that connects agents to potential clients. Zillow Premier Agent advertises participating agents to Zillow users and generates leads from users who are looking to buy or sell. But the service can be expensive if you work in a high-demand market with high home values.

Zillow Offers

Zillow used to have an iBuying business called Zillow Offers, but it was shuttered in 2021. Instant buyers, or iBuyers, are companies that buy properties directly from homeowners.

Zillow for buyers, sellers, and renters

How buyers can use Zillow

Zillow's listings are popular among both active homebuyers and those who are considering starting the process and want to see what's available. It's a great resource to see what homes are for sale in your area, find out about open houses, and search for properties that meet your specific criteria.

Its listings also provide a lot of useful information on individual homes for sale, including the age of the property, key features, and price and tax history.

If you find a house you like, you can request a showing. Zillow can help you get connected with a local real estate agent as well.

Zillow also lends mortgages thanks to its 2018 acquisition of Mortgage Lenders of America. If you're interested in getting a mortgage from Zillow, you can get prequalified. But be sure to get quotes from a few different mortgage lenders to be sure you're getting the best overall deal.

How sellers can use Zillow

Listing your home on Zillow can help ensure more potential buyers see it. This can be especially helpful if you're selling the home without an agent, since you won't have the same marketing resources available to you as a seller with traditional representation.

Sellers can also take advantage of Zillow's Zestimates to better understand what their homes might be worth. But keep in mind that these aren't always accurate, especially if the home is off the market.

How renters can use Zillow

Renters can use Zillow to find rental housing that meets their needs. Search by price, number of bedrooms and bathrooms, and home type. You can further narrow down your search by filtering for pet-friendly units, buildings with on-site parking, and more.

Pros and cons of using Zillow

Advantages of Zillow

• Find the right house for you. If you're looking to buy or rent, Zillow's search tool makes it easy to find a home that suits your needs. You can also save listings to look at later.
• Connect with a top local agent. Buyers can search for real estate agents in their area. You can read reviews, see the agent's typical price range, and how many sales they've made in the last 12 months.
• Get visibility for your listings. Sellers and landlords can benefit from listing their properties on Zillow, since that's where so many prospective buyers and renters are searching. Zillow has an average of 231 million monthly users.
• Grow your business.Real estate agents and landlords can benefit from Zillow's tools to help them advertise their services and connect with clients.

Drawbacks and limitations of Zillow

• Probably can't replace your agent.Though it might be tempting to list your home "for sale by owner" and avoid paying a commission to your real estate agent, agents often bring expertise to the transaction that can help you earn more for your home sale.
• Zestimates aren't always accurate. Don't get too excited if your Zestimate says that your home is worth more than you thought it was. Zestimates can be off by a significant margin. The best way to determine your home's value is by getting an appraisal.
• Zillow Premier Agents aren't necessarily better.If you provide your contact information, Zillow can connect you directly with one of its Zillow Premier Agents, who pay for the service. While you might have a good experience with a Premier Agent, it's important to take some time when searching for an agent to be sure they're a good fit. Asking friends or neighbors or recommendations might yield better results.

Zillow FAQs