No! Using a website such as Trulia or Zillow (where you'll get a "Zestimate") is OK if you want a starting point for the value of your Roanoke or Smith Mountain Lake home, but even then, you need to take it with a grain of salt.

Third-party real estate sites aggregate listings from all over the country. An algorithm analyzes the listing data and produces an estimated home value.

So what's the problem?

Well, as Realtors, we see it all the time: A seller comes in and tells me what the real estate site said her home in Southwest Roanoke County was worth. Then I go out to do the comparative market analysis and arrive at a list price that's far more or, more troublesome, far less. Of course that causes frustration for the seller, who has been making plans based on the website's estimate.

Here's what I have that the website doesn't:

• Local market expertise across the Roanoke Valley and Smith Mountain Lake. Sure, the websites will tell you they analyze millions of data points, and I don't doubt that. But the data they don't have is that which comes from working with buyers and sellers every day in the Roanoke Valley.
• Accurate listing data, because the websites are usually a few days behind your local MLS.
• The judgment of other local agents who are seeing the same trends as I am.
• Up-to-date data about the Roanoke Valley's economic trends.

These websites have some great tools, and you should use them if they help you with your research. But remember: When it comes time to sit down and really look at the numbers, your local Realtor is your very best source of information.

Let's talk about your home's value and what we might do to improve it. Call me at (540) 353-0123 or email me at sonya@sonyadickinson.com to make an appoinment.