How to correct Zillow information (quickly!)

If you're a real estate agent then there’s a good chance that you use Zillow to help get your property found online.

Zillow is a powerful tool for helping people find your property and work with you - but only if the information is accurate. People want to work with real estate professionals who are efficient and trustworthy.

When buyers are looking at homes online, they want to be able to trust the information they're seeing. If they see that your property information is inaccurate, they might not trust the rest of the information on your listing.

This can damage your reputation, your credibility and make you look unprofessional.

Incorrect information on your Zillow listing can also lead to confusion and ultimately, lost business. That's why it's important to make sure all your property information is up-to-date on the home details page.

Luckily, correcting your information on Zillow is easy. Read our helpful guide on how to do it.

Four easy steps to make sure your Zillow listing shows the correct information

If you find that that information on your property page on Zillow is inaccurate, don't fret! It's easy to fix.

Just follow these five easy steps:

1) Sign in

Visit your Zillow account or Zillow profile; type in your email address and password.

2) Correct home facts

Type in your address in the map address and choose Claim home.

3) Confirm that you're the owner of the property

You will need to provide your name and phone number to claim your home.

4) Update your property information in the appropriate fields

Click Edit on the menu bar. You will be taken to another page where you can now correct your home information.

5) Click 'save changes'

And that's it! Your changes will be reflected on the listing immediately.

It's pretty easy once you claim your home as there is enough user submitted data for Zillow to allow you control over the home. But, if you do face an issue, just 'report problem' to Zillow and someone will be able to assist you.

Why you need to make sure all your Zillow information is accurate

It's important to make sure all your information is accurate for a few reasons. Inaccurate information can lead to home buyers feeling deceived, meaning lost customers and bad reviews!

If your open hours or contact information are wrong, potential customers may not be able to reach you - and they'll take their business elsewhere.

Similarly, wrong information can hurt your search engine optimisation (SEO).

Search engines such as Google use information from listings like Zillow to help determine where your business should show up in search results. If the information on your listing is inaccurate, it could hurt your chances of being found online.

Inaccurate information can impact your revenue. Whilst prospective buyers will carry out their own personal appraisal, Zillow provides a Zestimate (a Zillow estimate) for each property - and that number is based on the information in the listing. It's vital for the realtors and the home buyers to know home values as a home is a large investment.

A Zestimate is a great tool and is even comparable with a real appraiser! You'll want it to be the most accurate one so that the house actually sells.

If your information is inaccurate, it could lead to a lower Zestimate, and that could mean lost revenue for you.  It is the responsibility of the listing agent to optimise the house's value with clear and up to date information and sell the home.

Ways to improve the descriptions of your home

If you're not happy with the way your house is described on Zillow, there are a few things you can do to improve it as a homeowner or a realtor.

Great descriptions are non-negotiable if you want buyers to do business with you. So to improve the descriptions, make sure the information in your listing is accurate.

• Be specific - instead of saying ‘nice view’, say ‘panoramic views of the city’.
• Use keywords - think about the words buyers might use to search for a property like yours, and include those in your description.
• Highlight unique features - buyers are looking for properties that meet their needs, so it's important to highlight the features of your property that will appeal to them. If your property has something that makes it stand out from the rest, be sure to mention it!

The good news is it is easy to edit home facts, so if you do spot a mistake, Zillow allows you to rectify it. This assures your credibility and gives you, the listing agent, a bit of wiggle room for error when you're flat out selling houses.

Aside from writing descriptions, make sure you add photos!

A picture is worth a thousand words, or worth a lot more commission and people enjoy seeing visual examples as well as written descriptions. The home type might be what someone searches for, but the pictures are what will get people to click into your property and become the soon-to-be owner.

There have been instances of people purchasing homes from just the pictures online - a physical walkthrough is not always necessary, especially with virtual tours. Real estate agents can actually save a lot of time if they optimise the home listing on the Zillow website. Imagine selling a home just from the virtual tour and description alone? It’s possible.

Adding photos to your listing can make it more attractive to potential customers and will lure them in to read more of your home descriptions. The photos should be high-quality and relevant for the buyer.

Why use Zillow?

There are a few reasons you might want to use Zillow to help market your property. It's a great way to get your property in front of potential buyers.

Zillow is one of the most popular real estate websites, and it gets a lot of traffic. That means more people will see your listing - and that could lead to more interest in your property.

Zillow can help you reach buyers who might not be working with a real estate agent.

As Zillow is a public website, anyone can search for homes on it. That means that you could reach buyers who might not otherwise see your listing.

Similarly, homeowners might be trawling through the listings to find an agent that they want to work with. So how you write about the home's facts is important - make sure it's correct information!

Finally, Zillow can help you stay organised. With all your property information in one place, it's easy to keep track of your listing and make sure everything is up-to-date.  You will want your Zestimate instantly so that you can sell the home!

What buyers want to know on Zillow

When buyers are looking at houses, they're usually looking for something specific. Here are a few of the most common things buyers want to know about:

• Location: Buyers want to know where the property is located. What's the address? Is it in a good neighbourhood? Is it close to schools, shopping areas, and other amenities?
• Price: What's the asking price for the property? Is it negotiable?
• Description: Buyers will want to know what the property looks like. They'll want to see pictures and read a description of the property.
• Features: Buyers want to know things like the square footage, the number of bedrooms and bathrooms, and any special features. Detailed information is key.

Whilst some people are more concerned with square footage, others may want to know the history of the building - you want to be specific about a few things without overloading the prospective buyers with too much information.

Final thoughts

As you can see, there are a few things you can do to make sure your Zillow listing is accurate - and that it stands out from the rest.

The Zillow mobile app means that people are able to view properties whenever, and wherever they are. It's even something that many people do for fun!

No one wants to be misled by the wrong information, especially when it could damage your reputation as a realtor.

By taking the time to update your information and improve your descriptions, you can attract more buyers and get more interest in your property. Realtors rely on positive reviews so don't let your Zillow home listing let you down (especially as it becomes public information).

And hey, if you're a realtor looking to get more reviews for yourself or your agency on Zillow, discover how Cloutly can help. It's the fastest way to build your reputation as a top-selling agent and attract future listings.