Why Zillow Estimates Can Mislead Home Sellers in Connecticut

If you're thinking about listing your home in Fairfield or New Haven County, an automated estimate from Zillow might be stuck in your head. But according to Kristin Egmont, a Connecticut real estate agent with over 20 years of experience, those numbers often need recalibrating. “Zillow is not an accurate reflection of value,” she says, because it can't factor in condition, recent updates, or specific circumstances. For example, a home with a brand new kitchen and roof will command a higher price than an identical-sized home untouched for 20 years, but an automated estimate may not reflect that gap. Conversely, Egmont worked with a seller who saw a $900,000 Zillow estimate, but her in-person assessment placed it at $750,000 due to shared driveway, parkway noise, and needed updates. The seller insisted on $849,000, and after six weeks, it sold for $749,000—right where she predicted. “If you overprice it, people are going to look past your house,” she warns.

Egmont's pricing strategy focuses on creating urgency. She typically lists homes as “coming soon” on Monday, with showings starting Thursday, and open houses on the weekend. By Monday, she often has multiple offers, sometimes well over asking. “When buyers see value, it creates urgency,” she says. The key is to price correctly from the start, as overpricing signals something is off and once a listing goes stale, it's hard to recover. She emphasizes that pricing is not a one-time conversation. “Pricing is a moment in time,” she notes, advising sellers to revisit the number just before launching, using the most recent comparable sales. For those tempted to anchor to an online estimate, she recommends using it as a starting point, then consulting a professional who has recently been inside similar homes. More details on her approach are available at kristinegmont.com/process.

Egmont works with buyers and sellers in Fairfield and New Haven County, leveraging her two decades of local expertise. She stresses that automated valuations cannot replace a professional assessment. “There are things you can do to increase value. There are also things that will hurt it. Zillow doesn't know the difference,” she concludes. For more information, visit kristinegmont.com.