Home Value Guides
The honest guide to home value estimates
How the estimates are built, where they go wrong, and what really drives your home's price.
Mortgage Rates Just Crossed 7%. What Does That Mean for Your Home's Value?
Freddie Mac's 30-year rate jumped from 6.71% to 7.03% in three weeks. Here's how that shrinks the buyer pool, increases competition among sellers, and puts pressure on pricing.
Read the guide ›
How Rising Interest Rates Affect Home Values
The Fed just raised rates for the first time since 2023. Here's how higher rates shrink buying power, and why home prices usually hold up better than you'd expect.
Read the guide ›
August 2026 Home Values: What the Latest National Data Shows
Realtor.com's newest report: the national median list price fell to $424,500, price cuts hit 20.4%, and inventory grew in every region. Here's the full breakdown.
Read the guide ›
How Home Value Estimates Work
A plain-language breakdown of how online home value tools calculate a number, and where they fall short.
Read the guide ›
Zestimate vs. a Professional Home Value: What Automated Estimates Miss
Zillow and Redfin both publish real error rates for their automated estimates. Here's what those numbers actually mean, and what they can't see.
Read the guide ›
What Renovations Actually Increase Home Value (and What Doesn't)
The industry's Cost vs. Value Report tracks 28 renovations against what they actually recoup at resale. A garage door often beats a kitchen remodel.
Read the guide ›Zestimate vs. Redfin Estimate vs. Realtor.com: Which Is Actually More Accurate?
Zillow and Redfin both publish real accuracy numbers. Realtor.com doesn't. Here's what the data that does exist actually says.
Read the guide ›
How Solar Panels Affect Your Home Value
Zillow's research puts the solar sale premium at 4.1% nationally, but only for owned systems. Here's how ownership structure changes everything.
Read the guide ›