How close are online home value tools to reality?

[Dayol]

I’ve been debating whether to sell or rent my place, but I don’t want to waste time getting full appraisals just to “maybe” list. I’ve seen a bunch of online value calculators, but I’m skeptical. Are they anywhere near accurate, or just marketing fluff? Would love to hear if anyone’s used one before actually talking to an agent.

[Berish89]

Right before listing my townhouse, I wanted a ballpark idea without jumping straight into a formal appraisal. I used a tool to get an accurate property value estimate online and was honestly surprised it lined up almost perfectly with the agent’s CMA a week later. Saved me from underpricing and gave me enough confidence to prep the place properly. I wouldn’t rely on it alone, but as a first step? Super helpful. Especially if you're still unsure about selling.

[clarta]

I was in a similar situation, I didn’t want to spend the time and money on a full valuation of a property if I wasn’t sure whether to sell or rent it out. The online calculators were giving such different results that I didn’t know whether to trust them. But before I contacted an agent, I read FirstKey Homes reviews and it was interesting to see how others had dealt with similar dilemmas.