Zillow is wrong in Idaho.

Why Zillow Estimates Are Inaccurate in Idaho

By Matthew P. Smith

Many homeowners turn to sites like Zillow, Realtor.com, or Trulia to get an idea of their home's value before selling. These platforms use massive data sets and algorithms to generate price estimates. However, there’s a big catch—Idaho is a non-disclosure state, which means these estimates are always way off the mark.

What Does "Non-Disclosure State" Mean?

In states like Idaho, final home sale prices are not made public. They aren’t recorded in public records or published anywhere for general access. However, real estate professionals with access to the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) can see actual sales data. If you’re a buyer or seller looking for the most accurate pricing, working with someone who has MLS access is essential.

Since Zillow and similar platforms rely heavily on public records to feed their pricing algorithms, they simply don’t have the real numbers in Idaho. Instead, they base their estimates on listing prices or incomplete data, which can lead to major miscalculations. This is why For Sale By Owner (FSBO) listings often struggle without real comparable sales, homes are frequently priced too high or too low.

How This Affects Zillow’s Accuracy

Because Zillow can’t see actual sale prices, it estimates home values based on listing prices, tax assessments, and other incomplete data. This often results in big discrepancies.

For example, imagine two homes went under contract last month—one sold for $70,000 over the asking price and another for $30,000 over. Since Zillow only registers the listing price, not the final sale, it undervalues both homes, making its estimate unreliable.

To test this, looking up home values in a specific Idaho neighborhood showed Zillow estimates that were off by $20,000 to $100,000 on nearly every property. Pricing a home incorrectly from the start can impact how long it sits on the market and how much it eventually sells for.

Zillow’s Own Accuracy Rating for Idaho

Even Zillow admits its estimates in Idaho aren’t very reliable. The platform ranks its pricing accuracy by county using a four-star system:

4 stars – Highly accurate
3 stars – Generally reliable
2 stars – Fair accuracy
1 star – Based on tax assessments or insufficient data

Every county in Idaho, including Ada, Gem, and Kootenai, only received 1 star—meaning Zillow itself acknowledges that its estimates in Idaho are highly unreliable.

The Bottom Line

Zillow, Trulia, and Realtor.com can be helpful for browsing homes and general market trends, but their pricing estimates in Idaho should be taken with caution. Because Idaho doesn’t disclose real sales prices, these platforms lack the data needed for accuracy. Even Zillow states that Zestimates should be used only as a starting point and should be supplemented with a professional appraisal or Comparative Market Analysis (CMA) from a real estate expert.

If you’re looking to buy or sell in Idaho, trusting real sales data—not an algorithm—is the best way to price a home correctly.

Zillow is wrong in Idaho.

The Hidden Dangers of Price Cuts in Real Estate

When a home isn’t selling, many sellers assume a price cut is the answer. Lower the price, attract more buyers, and get the home sold—simple, right? Not exactly. In reality, price reductions can backfire, devaluing your property and making it even harder to sell.

The Right Price From Day One Wins

A home’s best chance to sell for top dollar is in the first few weeks on the market. New listings generate excitement, attract serious buyers, and can even spark bidding wars. But if a home is overpriced from the start, it loses momentum.

Instead of pricing high and hoping to negotiate down, the smarter strategy is to price it correctly from day one. A well-priced home creates urgency, draws in qualified buyers, and often sells faster and at a better price than one that lingers on the market.

Price Reductions Signal Weakness

When buyers see price cuts, they don’t think, What a great deal! They think, What’s wrong with this house? A home that started at $2.1 million and drops to $1.99 million doesn’t feel like a bargain—it feels like a problem.

Repeated reductions make sellers look desperate, encouraging lowball offers and giving buyers the upper hand. Instead of creating urgency, it creates hesitation. Buyers may assume another price drop is coming and wait instead of acting.

The Longer It Sits, the Less It’s Worth

A home that lingers on the market becomes stale. As days turn into weeks and weeks into months, buyers and agents start to wonder why it hasn’t sold. Even if the home is in perfect condition, the perception shifts.

The longer a home stays on the market, the more buyers expect a discount. They start negotiating harder, assuming the seller is running out of options. Instead of getting top dollar, the seller ends up chasing the market downward.

Price Drops Should Be a Last Resort

Before cutting the price, sellers should evaluate other factors:

Marketing Strategy – Is the listing getting enough exposure? Are the photos, descriptions, and advertising reaching the right buyers?
Presentation – Does the home show well? Could small improvements or staging make a difference?
Market Conditions – Are similar homes selling for less, or is the entire market slowing down?

Sometimes, minor adjustments—better marketing, fresh staging, or a different approach—can reignite interest without sacrificing price.

Final Thoughts

Price cuts aren’t always the right answer. A well-priced home from the start creates demand, attracts stronger offers, and sells faster. If a home isn’t moving, the best approach isn’t always to slash the price—it’s to rethink the strategy.

Thinking of selling? Let’s talk about how to price your home for success from day one.