What Is My Home Worth? 7 Ways to Get an Accurate Valuation
Need a quick ball-park figure? Type your address into a reputable free estimator—Robert Michael & Co.’s tool, Zillow, Redfin, and similar services can spit out a number in seconds. It’s handy, but that algorithm is only step one; the most reliable price comes from layering several methods and leaning on local expertise.
This guide shows you how to move from that instant guess to a defensible value you can share with buyers, lenders, or the county tax office. You’ll see which resources are truly free, which pros charge a fee, how each method pulls its data, and—most important—how accurate they tend to be once the dust settles.
We’ll break down seven options: a hyper-local AVM, the big national sites, a licensed appraisal, a comparative market analysis, the FHFA price index, DIY comparable research, and instant cash-offer iBuyers. Use any one as a starting point, but combine at least two and you’ll tighten your value range to within a few percentage points—before deciding whether to list, refinance, or simply track your equity growth.
1. Use Robert Michael & Co.’s Free Home Valuation Tool
If you live anywhere in Central Florida, Robert Michael & Co.’s estimator should be your first stop. The same back-end market feed that powers REALTORS® in Orlando, Kissimmee, Winter Park, and the surrounding communities feeds this valuation engine. In practice, that means the algorithm sees price changes the hour they hit the MLS—days or even weeks earlier than the national portals. Plug in your address and you’ll receive an instant, no-cost report that already accounts for local quirks like lakefront premiums, new-build subdivisions, and seasonal shifts that only show up in hyper-specific data sets.
Below, we unpack exactly how the tool works, walk you through the input screens, and spell out when an automated valuation model (AVM) is enough—and when you’ll still want a pair of human eyes.
How the tool works
At its core, the estimator is an AVM powered by three data pipelines:
Real-time MLS feed for the Orlando–Kissimmee–Sanford metro
Public tax and permitting records from Orange, Osceola, Seminole, and Lake Counties
Recent sold prices and listing photos updated every 15 minutes
The algorithm digests those inputs, weighs them against your home’s attributes—square footage, lot size, year built, bed/bath count—and then applies a price-per-square-foot curve custom to your micro-market. Because the model only tracks Central Florida, it avoids the “national average” blind spot that makes Zestimates drift when they encounter local nuances like clay tile roofs or block construction.
The output is two numbers:
Estimated Market Value (the price a typical buyer would pay today)
Confidence Range (a high-low spread that reflects the amount of similar sales available)
Both arrive in an email PDF along with a snapshot of the three most relevant comparable sales.
Step-by-step instructions
Ready to see what your home might fetch?
Go to RobertMichael.com.
In the top menu, click “What’s My Home Worth?”
Enter your street address and select the matching record from the drop-down.
Confirm beds, baths, and square footage.
Optional but recommended:
Check the box for “I’ve remodeled in the past 5 years” and list upgrades (new roof, kitchen, pool, solar panels).
Upload up to 6 recent photos that showcase interior finishes.
Click Generate Report. An instant value appears on-screen, and a detailed PDF lands in your inbox within 60 seconds.
Pro tip: If the on-screen number surprises you, scroll to the bottom of the report email. A single click opens a chat window with a live Robert Michael & Co. agent who can explain the comps that drove the figure.
Pros, cons, and best-use cases
Pros
Free and truly instant—no “sales call first” gatekeeper
Pulls directly from the Central Florida MLS, so data is fresher than national AVMs
Lets you refine inputs with renovation details and photos
Includes a one-click option to talk to a local human for clarification
Cons
Still an algorithm; it can’t smell pet odors or admire your hand-scraped hardwoods
Confidence range widens in rural pockets or for one-of-a-kind custom builds
Report value does not constitute an official appraisal for lending or legal purposes
Best-use cases
Homeowners considering listing within the next 6–12 months who need a working price to plan equity moves
Refinancers wanting a sanity check before locking a rate
Landlords tracking equity growth on single-family rentals across the Orlando metro
Tips to boost accuracy
Add recent improvements: A new roof or HVAC replacement can tilt value more than $15,000 in humid Central Florida. List every upgrade with the year completed.
Upload quality photos: The model uses computer vision to grade finishes when images are supplied. A quick iPhone snap of your quartz counters and frameless shower helps the algorithm separate you from the Formica crowd.
Update after big projects: Finished a garage conversion, added a pool cage, or enclosed a lanai? Re-run the valuation so the square footage and amenity data stay current.
Cross-check with other methods below: If the confidence range is wider than ±5%, layer in a CMA or appraisal for a tighter number.
Watch the seasonality: Central Florida sees listing surges in early spring and late fall. Running the tool a few times over several months will reveal trend lines that a single snapshot can’t capture.
Used thoughtfully, Robert Michael & Co.’s AVM can shave hours off your research and get you within striking distance of your home’s true value. Pair it with at least one additional valuation strategy from this guide and you’ll walk into any negotiation—buyer, lender, or tax assessor—armed with data that’s both hyper-local and rock-solid.
2. Leverage Popular Online AVM Sites (Zillow, Redfin, Realtor.com)
National Automated Valuation Models (AVMs) are the quick-serve restaurants of pricing: fast, free, and available 24/7 no matter where you live. Type an address, hit enter, and you’ll see a dollar figure plus a value range within seconds. Millions of owners start here before asking, “What is my home worth?”—and for good reason. These sites crunch public records and recent sales at a scale no local brokerage can match, giving you a second data point to stack against your Robert Michael & Co. estimate.
Still, remember the trade-off: more breadth means less neighborhood nuance. Use the numbers as a reality check, not gospel, and you’ll avoid the most common pricing misfires.
What an AVM actually is
An AVM is a computer model that predicts a property’s worth by recognizing patterns in massive datasets. In plain English, it works like this:
Gather data
County tax assessments
Multiple Listing Service (MLS) sold prices
Historic mortgage records and repeat-sale pairs
User-submitted home facts and photos
Run that data through statistical algorithms—usually hedonic regression or machine-learning models—to find relationships between features (beds, baths, location) and sale price.
Spit out an Estimated Value plus a high-low Confidence Range.
Think of it as a financial version of Spotify’s “Recommended” playlist: it doesn’t know your mood, but it’s decent at pattern matching based on what everyone else listened to.
Data sources and calculation factors
Each portal tweaks the recipe, but the main ingredients are consistent:
Physical attributes: square footage, lot size, year built, construction type
Market activity: number of recent sales, average DOM, price trends by ZIP code
Neighborhood signals: school ratings, walk scores, proximity to highways or water
Owner inputs: renovations, photo uploads, correction of tax record errors
Why your Zestimate might be off
MLS lag: Some Florida boards delay data syndication by 24–72 hours. Upgrades the algorithm can’t see: A 2024 kitchen remodel looks identical to a 1999 one if photos aren’t uploaded. Non-conforming features: Mother-in-law suites, boat docks, or vacation-rental income rarely factor in. Gated or lakefront premiums: Large portals average them with interior lots unless enough sales exist to separate the trend.
Accuracy ranking and margin of error
The companies publish their own error statistics; we’ve summarized the most recent public numbers for single-family homes:
Rank Platform Median Error (On-Market) Median Error (Off-Market) 1 Redfin Estimate 2.0% 6.7% 2 Zillow Zestimate 2.4% 7.5% 3 Realtor.com My Home 2.9%* 7.9%*
*Realtor.com discloses a range rather than a single figure; numbers shown represent mid-points of its published range.
What do those percentages mean in the real world?
A listed $450,000 Orlando bungalow could read $441,000 to $459,000 on Redfin the day it hits the market.
The same home, once it comes off the MLS, might swing $30,000 in either direction depending on photo updates and new comps.
So when readers ask, “How accurate is the Zillow value estimate?” the honest reply is: pretty tight if your home is actively listed, noticeably looser once it isn’t.
Best practices for readers
To milk the most insight out of national AVMs, follow these steps:
Claim your home on each portal. This unlocks the edit function for beds, baths, finished square footage, and upgrades.
Upload current photos. Fresh images of that quartz waterfall island or screened pool tell the model your finishes are above average.
Correct any errors—tax rolls often miss additions, lanais, or impact-window permits that add value.
Log every estimate in a spreadsheet.
Average Value = (Zestimate + Redfin Estimate + Realtor.com Value) / 3This running average cushions single-site swings.
Revisit quarterly or after big-ticket projects (roof, solar, bathroom gut). The algorithms retrain every few weeks; don’t let stale data linger.
Compare against hyper-local tools. If the spread between your Robert Michael & Co. valuation and the portal average exceeds 5%, dig deeper with a Comparative Market Analysis or appraisal.
Used thoughtfully, the big AVM sites transform from cocktail-party curiosities into legitimate gut checks. They won’t capture every Central Florida nuance—like the premium Winter Park buyers pay for a brick-paver street—but layered with a local model and professional opinion, they help anchor your expectations before you spend money on appraisals or professional photography.
3. Schedule a Professional Appraisal
After you’ve gathered a handful of automated estimates, the sure-fire way to nail down “what is my home worth” is to hire a state-licensed appraiser. Lenders, courts, and the IRS all lean on this third-party opinion because it blends hard data with a boots-on-the-ground inspection—something no algorithm can replicate. Expect the visit to feel part detective work, part home tour: the appraiser measures rooms, photographs finishes, and quizzes you about permits and upgrades before crunching the numbers in a 20-plus-page report.
What an appraiser does that algorithms can’t
Full interior inspection – tape-measures every room, notes ceiling height, observes material quality (laminate vs. solid wood, builder-grade granite vs. quartzite).
Condition grading – assigns a rating (C1–C6 on the Uniform Appraisal Dataset) that directly affects value adjustments.
Legal conformity check – verifies bedroom egress, counts only permitted square footage, flags unpermitted garage conversions.
Micro-adjustments – applies dollar adjustments for lake frontage, corner lots, premium school zones, or a brand-new tile roof—elements big portals often miss.
Human reasonableness test – reconciles oddball comps, removes foreclosure outliers, and explains value rationale in narrative form.
Because that final “opinion of market value” carries an appraiser’s signature and license number, it’s admissible for mortgages, probate filings, divorce settlements, and tax appeals.
Cost, timeline, and how to prepare
Item Typical Range (Central FL) Fee (single-family) $350–$600 Rush fee (48-hr turn) +$75–$150 On-site visit length 30–60 minutes Report delivery 3–5 business days
Declutter high-traffic areas so the appraiser can measure walls and closets easily.
Create a one-pager listing upgrades (dates + cost: new roof 2022 $14k, pool resurfaced 2023 $6k). Attach permits if handy.
Provide HOA documents showing dues and amenities—clubhouse, boat ramp, gated entry.
Unlock all areas including attic access, detached garages, and accessory dwellings.
Schedule during daylight; exterior photos turn out clearer and highlight curb appeal.
A tidy, well-lit property won’t “fool” the appraiser into inflating value, but it does make condition assessment more favorable, which can swing the adjusted price by a few thousand dollars.
Reading the appraisal report
Most residential appraisals use the Uniform Residential Appraisal Report (URAR, Form 1004). Key sections to skim:
Subject & Contract – confirms your address, legal description, and any pending sales contract price.
Comparable Sales Grid – three to six nearby comps with plus/minus dollar adjustments for size, age, garages, pools, etc.
Reconciliation – narrative explaining why the appraiser leaned on a specific comp or method (sales comparison vs. cost).
Final Opinion of Value – the headline number, typically printed in bold on Page 2.
“As-Is” vs. “Subject-To” – if safety or code issues exist, you may see a “subject-to repairs” clause. Fix items promptly if you’re refinancing or selling.
Tip: If the value comes in lower than expected, review the adjustment grid. You can often spot a missed upgrade or overly harsh condition rating worth a polite reconsideration request.
When an appraisal is indispensable
Refinancing or HELOC – lenders require it to justify the new loan amount.
Removing PMI – proof your equity has hit 20% can cancel hundreds per month.
Estate and divorce settlements – courts prefer a certified report over agent opinions.
Unique or luxury homes – lakefront estates, horse properties, or Frank Lloyd Wright knock-offs where few comps exist.
Tax assessment challenges – a professional appraisal attached to your appeal can slash your property tax bill.
While an appraisal costs real money, it often pays for itself by preventing under-pricing (during a sale) or proving equity (during a refinance). Paired with the AVMs and CMA you gathered earlier, the appraisal becomes the linchpin—turning a range of possibilities into a defendable, single figure that stands up to scrutiny from banks, buyers, and Uncle Sam alike.
4. Request a Comparative Market Analysis (CMA) from a Real Estate Agent
After you’ve gathered automated numbers and maybe even booked an appraiser, the smartest next step is asking a trusted agent for a Comparative Market Analysis. A CMA is essentially a hand-curated pricing report that blends hard sales data with boots-on-the-ground insight—without the $400 appraisal fee. It answers the same core question—what is my home worth right now?—but pivots from algorithmic averages to the realities of buyer demand, condition quirks, and micro-neighborhood trends that a spreadsheet can’t see.
CMA vs. appraisal: similarities and differences
Feature Comparative Market Analysis (CMA) Professional Appraisal Preparer Licensed real-estate agent or broker State-licensed appraiser Typical cost Free (often part of listing consult) $350–$600 Data set MLS sales, actives, pendings, expireds Closed sales only (must have recorded) Inspection scope Curb-side drive-by; photos you provide Full interior/exterior measurement Legal standing for lenders Informational only Accepted by banks, courts, IRS Turnaround time 24–48 hours 3–5 business days Best use Listing strategy, pre-listing repairs, setting list price Refinancing, divorce, probate, PMI removal
Both reports compare your property to similar recent sales, but the appraiser follows federal guidelines and signs a legally binding opinion of value. The agent, meanwhile, applies market savvy—“That pool home sold with three offers in 48 hours”—to help you position your listing for maximum traction.
Elements of a strong CMA
A quality CMA goes well beyond “three comps and a gut feeling.” Look for:
Sold comps (90–180 days): Ideally 3–5 properties within a mile, matching bed/bath count, square footage ±15%, and similar lot features (lakefront vs. interior).
Active and pending listings: Shows your competition and the prices buyers are currently rejecting or accepting.
Expired/canceled listings: Reveals price ceilings the market refused.
Adjustment grid: Dollar adjustments for pools, renovated kitchens, age of roof/HVAC, school district, and even floor plan desirability (split vs. ranch).
Market velocity metrics: Median days-on-market, list-to-sale price ratios, and absorption rate for your sub-market.
Recommended price range: A tight spread with a preferred “go-to-market” number based on your timeline and risk tolerance.
If your CMA looks like a one-page flyer, push for deeper analysis—your equity is worth more than a brochure.
Questions to ask the agent
Going deeper with pointed questions can surface blind spots and test the agent’s expertise:
“How did you select these comps, and which one carried the most weight?”
“What specific dollar adjustments did you apply for my new roof and Tesla charger?”
“How are buyer showing volumes trending in the neighborhood over the last 30 days?”
“What list price strategy would you use—at market, slightly under, or ‘make-me-move’ above?”
“If we don’t get an offer in two weeks, what’s the first tweak you’d recommend?”
An agent who can’t answer quickly probably built the CMA on autopilot. Politely move on.
Why local expertise matters
Central Florida is a mosaic of micro-markets: a historic bungalow in College Park draws different buyers and price premiums than a new-build in Lake Nona or a canal-front in Merritt Island. Algorithms average those distinctions away; even out-of-town appraisers can miss them. A seasoned Orlando-area agent, however, knows that:
Brick streets in Winter Park regularly command $25–$40 per square foot more than asphalt blocks one street over.
School re-zoning announcements can spike demand weeks before data hits the MLS.
Hurricane-rated windows added post-2022 storms are now a top negotiating chip for out-of-state buyers seeking lower insurance premiums.
Robert Michael & Co. agents live and breathe these nuances daily. Their CMAs fold in chatter from broker caravans, buyer feedback at open houses, and subtle shifts like HOA fee hikes—all items that never make it into public datasets but can swing your bottom line five figures.
When you stack a robust CMA on top of your AVM averages and, if needed, an appraisal, you’ll have a pricing strategy that’s both data-driven and market-savvy. That layered approach lets you enter negotiations confident that your asking price isn’t just defensible—it’s compelling to the exact buyers most likely to fall in love with your home.
5. Consult the FHFA House Price Index Calculator
Need to sanity-check the equity growth you should have earned since you bought? The Federal Housing Finance Agency’s House Price Index (HPI) makes that easy—no log-ins, no sales pitch, just raw government math. Unlike AVMs that try to peg your house to a single dollar amount, the HPI tells you how much home prices in your metro area have changed over time. Plug in what you paid and when you bought, and the calculator spits out what a typical property with similar timing would be worth today. It’s a quick way to see if the other methods you’ve used are in the same ballpark or way off base.
What the HPI is and why it’s useful
The FHFA tracks every Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac mortgage in the country—millions of repeat sales. By comparing the same property’s sale price over time, the agency creates a quarterly index for each Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). That index shows percentage appreciation or depreciation, stripped of marketing hype and commission incentives.
Why homeowners like it:
Government-run dataset—not a bank, portal, or brokerage trying to win your business
Covers decades of data, perfect for long-term trend analysis
Updates quarterly, so you’re rarely working with information more than 90 days old
If you know what you paid for the house, the HPI can estimate a present value based solely on regional appreciation. It’s especially handy for:
Tracking equity growth for retirement planning
Double-checking whether a refinance appraisal feels light (or inflated)
Modeling future value scenarios when weighing remodel costs
How to use the calculator
Go to the FHFA HPI Calculator page.
Enter your Purchase Price.
Select the Quarter and Year you bought (e.g., Q1 2015).
Choose “Orlando–Kissimmee–Sanford, FL” from the MSA dropdown.
Click “Calculate” to see today’s estimated value.
Example:
Purchase price: $250,000
Purchase date: Q1 2015
Orlando–Kissimmee–Sanford appreciation: ~87% (Q1 2015 → Q2 2025)
Estimated Value = $250,000 × (1 + 0.87) = $467,500
That number reflects what an “average” Central Florida home would fetch now, assuming no major condition changes.
Strengths and limitations
Strengths
Bias-free: Data is collected for federal oversight, not marketing.
Long view: Shows multi-cycle trends other tools miss.
Simplicity: Only two inputs—price and date—so anyone can run it in under a minute.
Limitations
No property specifics: Your solar panels, pool cage, or lake view aren’t in the equation.
Neighborhood blind spots: Winter Park may outperform the broader MSA; the HPI averages them together.
Quarterly lag: In fast-moving markets, three months can feel like a lifetime.
Bottom line: treat the HPI as a macro compass, not a precision GPS. If its estimate lands within 5–7% of your AVM results or agent’s CMA, you’ve got corroborating evidence that you’re in the right value neighborhood. If the spread is wider, dig deeper—conditions, upgrades, or hyper-local demand might be skewing one or more of your valuation sources.
6. Pull Your Own Comps from Recent Sales
For homeowners who like spreadsheets as much as shiplap, rolling up your sleeves and building a small comparative market study is a smart way to sanity-check the numbers you’ve gathered so far. While it won’t replace a professional appraisal, a tight set of self-selected “comps” (recent comparable sales) lets you see—line by line—how similar homes in your immediate area actually closed. Done right, the exercise sharpens your eye for pricing patterns and helps you answer what is my home worth with more confidence when talking to agents, lenders, or curious relatives.
Where to find reliable sales data
You need data that’s both recent and verifiable. Start here:
County property appraiser websites – Orange, Osceola, and Seminole counties post deed-recorded sale prices within days of closing.
MLS consumer portals with sold filters – Sites like Redfin or Realtor.com allow you to toggle “Sold” and narrow to the last 3–6 months.
Local clerk of court search – Good back-up for confirming sale dates and whether the transfer was arms-length.
Title company market reports – Many publish monthly PDFs summarizing median prices by ZIP; handy for trend context.
Aim for sales that closed in the past 90–180 days; any older and market momentum can make numbers stale.
DIY comp sheet walkthrough
Gather five to seven candidates that match your home’s:
Location (same subdivision or within one mile in the same school zone)
Style and age (block vs. frame construction, built within ±10 years)
Size (square footage ±15%)
Key amenities (pool, lakefront, three-car garage, etc.)
Open a fresh spreadsheet or replicate the Markdown table below:
Address Sold Date Beds/Baths Sq Ft Sale Price $/Sq Ft Notes 123 Elm St 04-15-2025 4/3 2,250 $485,000 $215.56 Updated kitchen 456 Maple Ave 05-02-2025 4/2.5 2,180 $472,500 $216.06 No pool 789 Oak Dr 03-28-2025 5/3 2,330 $510,000 $218.03 Corner lot
Next, calculate an average price per square foot:
Average $/Sq Ft = (215.56 + 216.06 + 218.03) / 3 = $216.55
Finally, multiply that average by your home’s heated square footage:
Estimated Value = Average $/Sq Ft × Your Sq Ft
If your property is 2,200 sq ft, the rough figure would be:
$216.55 × 2,200 ≈ $476,000
Adjust up or down for superior or inferior features—say ±$15,000 for a new roof or +$25,000 for a screened pool if none of the comps had one.
Common pitfalls to avoid
Mixing distressed or estate sales with arms-length transactions; these often close below market.
Cherry-picking the highest price because it “feels good.” Outliers skew the average.
Over-adjusting for cosmetic upgrades; buyers rarely pay dollar-for-dollar for new paint or light fixtures.
Ignoring days-on-market (DOM); a comp that sat 90 days before a deep discount could signal over-pricing, not true value.
Crossing major barriers like highways, school-district lines, or county borders—those invisible lines move prices more than most remodels.
When DIY comps are helpful
Early-stage planning – You’re 12–18 months from selling and want a ballpark without ringing every agent in town.
Double-checking professional opinions – If your CMA and AVM disagree by more than 5%, home-grown comps reveal which one drifts.
Tax assessment challenges – A short table of lower sold prices can bolster a value appeal.
Investment property decisions – Landlords weighing a rent increase or cash-out refinance often run back-of-napkin comps before ordering a formal appraisal.
By mastering a simple comp sheet, you add one more layer of evidence to your valuation toolkit. Combine it with the AVMs, CMA, and appraisal data and you’ll steer pricing discussions from a position of knowledge—not guesswork.
7. Compare Instant Cash Offer/iBuyer Estimates
Sometimes speed trumps squeezing every last nickel out of a sale. That’s where instant‐offer companies—commonly called “iBuyers”—come in. They use algorithms similar to AVMs, wrap them in a streamlined purchase model, and promise a near-immediate cash contract. Even if you never intend to accept one, scoring an iBuyer quote gives you another data point when you’re asking, what is my home worth?
What an iBuyer is
An iBuyer is a real-estate tech company—think Opendoor, Offerpad, or Orchard—that buys homes directly from owners, makes light repairs, then flips them on the open market. Their profit comes from acquisition spreads and service fees, not agent commissions. Because they’re effectively wholesalers at scale, their offers land below top retail price but deliver two perks traditional buyers can’t: certainty and speed.
How the offer process works
Online questionnaire – Enter your address, bed/bath count, and recent upgrades.
Algorithmic pricing – Within 24–48 hours you get a preliminary cash offer and a net-sheet estimate of fees.
Virtual or in-person walkthrough – A rep verifies condition via video or short appointment, noting repairs.
Final offer & closing date – You choose a closing window (often 7–45 days). Sign, and funds wire at settlement.
Expect the entire dance—from first click to cash in the bank—to wrap in three weeks or less, far faster than the 45-plus-day timeline of a financed buyer.
Accuracy and fees
iBuyer algorithms begin with the same public data portals use, then subtract projected carrying costs, repairs, and resale risk. The headline offer is therefore conservative by design. Typical fee stack:
Line Item Typical Range Service / convenience fee 5%–8% of offer price Repair debit Case-by-case (post-walkthrough) Closing costs Normal seller side (title, doc stamps)
Example:
Preliminary Offer: $400,000
Service Fee (7%): -$28,000
Estimated Repairs: -$10,000
Seller Net Before Closing Costs: $362,000
Compare that $362K to your CMA or appraisal. The delta is the “price of convenience.”
When to consider or avoid
Good fits
Corporate relocation or tight school-year deadlines
Inherited or tenant-occupied property you prefer not to prep for showings
Homes needing moderate but not gut-level repairs
Think twice
A hot seller’s market where multiple-offer bidding wars are common
Fully updated properties likely to command premium pricing
Situations where every dollar of equity matters (e.g., minimal remaining mortgage balance)
If an iBuyer’s net falls within 5–7 % of your predicted open-market proceeds, the time savings might be worth it. Otherwise, treat the quote as a helpful floor—evidence your home is worth at least that much—before moving forward with a traditional listing.
Worth Knowing Before You Decide
By now you’ve seen seven distinct ways to gauge your property’s price tag—from lightning-fast algorithms to boots-on-the-ground appraisals. Each method answers the “what is my home worth” question from a different angle, and each has blind spots. AVMs can’t smell fresh paint, appraisers don’t factor tomorrow’s buyer frenzy, and iBuyer offers intentionally sit below retail to protect their margins. Relying on a single source is like judging the weather by peeking out one window: you’ll get a reading, but you won’t know if a storm is sneaking up from the other side of the house.
The solution is layering. Combine at least two automated models with one human-powered opinion and you’ll usually land within ±2 percent of a home’s real market value. That tight range is more than enough to set a list price, negotiate with confidence, or decide if a refinance makes financial sense. If your blended number still feels squishy, spring for the professional appraisal—it’s the gold standard banks and courts accept without question.
Below is a quick, repeatable playbook you can work through in a single afternoon. Keep the notes; they’ll serve as backup for buyers, lenders, or the county tax assessor down the line.
Update your home facts on Robert Michael & Co., Zillow, Redfin, and Realtor.com—square footage, upgrades, and clear photos.
Record each site’s estimate in a simple spreadsheet; average the figures for an instant “algorithm mean.”
Request a free Comparative Market Analysis from a trusted local agent; note the recommended price range and days-on-market stats.
Cross-check the CMA midpoint against your algorithm mean.
If the gap is under 5 percent, you’re safely in the ballpark.
If the gap is over 5 percent, dig deeper: pull DIY comps or schedule an appraisal.
Consult the FHFA HPI calculator to ensure regional appreciation trends support your numbers.
Optional: grab an iBuyer quote to establish a “won’t go lower than this” floor price.
File every report, net sheet, and comp table in a single PDF folder; you’ll need it for mortgage underwriting, tax appeals, and buyer negotiations.
Treat this checklist as a living document. Re-run the online tools after major renovations, policy-shaking insurance storms, or every six months in fast markets like Central Florida. When you can line up three independent sources that all echo the same figure, you’ll know exactly where your home stands—and you’ll have the paperwork to prove it.
Ready for Your Exact Number?
You now have every tool you need, but the fastest path from “ball-park” to bull’s-eye is a one-two punch:
run Robert Michael & Co.’s hyper-local valuation, and
layer in a human opinion—either a free CMA or a paid appraisal—so every big decision is backed by data and local insight.
Here’s a 10-minute action plan:
Grab today’s instant estimate from our site—no log-in gymnastics, no sales pitch.
Skim the emailed PDF and note the confidence range.
If you like what you see, hit “Reply” and request a complimentary CMA; if you still have questions, book a full appraisal.
Compare the numbers, pick the midpoint, and you’re ready to price, refinance, or renegotiate insurance coverage.
That’s it. No guesswork, no hidden costs—just a defensible number you can slide across any closing table with confidence. Ready to start? Visit Robert Michael & Co. and see what your home is really worth in under 60 seconds.
