How accurate is the Zestimate in Denver?
For a Denver-area home that isn't listed for sale, Zillow's own numbers put the typical Zestimate miss at 5.23% of the eventual sale price, about $34,000 on a $650,000 home, and about one in four misses by more than 10%. Once a home is listed, the miss drops to 1.33%, mostly because the estimate can see the list price. Use it as a rough range and get a market analysis before you set a price.
Figures checked October 20 and 21, 2026. Both companies update them regularly.
The Zestimate is Zillow’s estimate of what a home would sell for. It’s free, it updates several times a week, and it’s often the first number a seller sees. Zillow calls it a starting point and says it isn’t an appraisal. Here’s how close it comes in the Denver area, by Zillow’s own count.
What Zillow’s numbers say
Zillow publishes how far its estimates landed from the actual sale price. “Median error” is the middle miss: half of estimates came closer than this, and half missed by more.
| Denver metro | Median error | On a $650,000 home |
|---|---|---|
| Homes not listed for sale | 5.23% | about $34,000 |
| Homes listed for sale | 1.33% | about $8,600 |
For homes that weren’t listed, 48% of Zestimates came within 5% of the sale price, 75% within 10%, and 92% within 20%. That means about one in four missed by more than 10%, or more than $65,000 on a $650,000 home.
Denver does a little better than the country as a whole. Nationally, the median error is 7.20% for homes not listed and 1.77% for listed homes. Redfin’s estimate shows the same pattern: a 6.42% median error for unlisted Colorado homes and 1.44% for listed ones.
Why it looks better once a home is listed
Once a home is on the market, the estimate can read the list price, the description, and how long it’s been listed. The list price reflects an agent’s pricing work, so the estimate gets much closer to the final price.
Before you list, there’s no list price to read. That’s when you’re deciding what to ask, and it’s when the estimate misses by the most.
Why it misses
The estimate works from public records, MLS data, and what owners enter. Zillow says that how much data it has for your home and the homes around it directly affects accuracy, and that unreported additions, updates, and remodels aren’t reflected. In practice, it has trouble with:
- Condition. Records show bedrooms, bathrooms, and square feet. They don’t show whether the kitchen was redone in 2022 or 1985.
- Homes unlike their neighbors. A new build next to an original bungalow, an unusual lot, or a big addition has few true comparisons.
- Few recent sales. When a small area has had few sales lately, the model reaches farther away or further back in time.
- Townhomes and condos. Units in the same building can differ in floor, view, parking, and whether they share walls on one side or two. Records often treat them as nearly identical.
- A market that just changed. Estimates lean on past sales. Denver metro prices were down about 1% over the year to mid-2026, so sales from a year ago can point a little high.
It misses in both directions. On one of Brett’s 2026 listings in Denver, an automated value ran about $58,000 above what recent sales supported. A remodeled home can just as easily come in low.
What to do with your Zestimate
- Treat it as a rough range. In the Denver area, the real price is within 10% about three times out of four.
- Check your home’s facts on Zillow and correct anything that’s wrong.
- Don’t set your price from it, and don’t count on buyers paying it.
- Before you list, get a market analysis built from recent sales near you, adjusted for your home’s condition.
Brett’s home value analysis does that: a written price range from recent nearby sales, with a net sheet showing what you’d walk away with, sent within two business days.
Questions
Why is my Zestimate different from my agent's price?
The Zestimate works from public records and nearby sales. It can't see your kitchen, your layout, or the work you've done, and Zillow says unreported remodels aren't reflected. An agent's market analysis starts from the same sales, then adjusts for condition and the homes you'd compete with.
Can I change my Zestimate?
You can correct your home's facts on Zillow, such as bedrooms, bathrooms, and updates. That changes what the estimate works from. It doesn't change what buyers will pay.
Is an appraisal more accurate?
An appraisal is done by a licensed appraiser who visits the home, and it's what lenders rely on. Zillow says the Zestimate isn't an appraisal and can't be used in place of one.
Neighborhood guides
This article is general information. A lender, attorney, or tax professional can tell you what applies to your situation.
