Automated valuations found online are data driven algorithms that rely on information derived from public and private sources, such as a county assessor and the multiple listing service. The data used to automatically estimate a home’s value may include zip code, square footage, school district, bedrooms, bathrooms, and prior sales within an area. What they are not able to evaluate is the character of a property including condition, updates, location (next to a park or a gas station), type of construction, the builder, sub-division, or the local market condition. If there are several similar sales in the same area, they can be accurate. If not, there could be a significant difference in the automated versus actual market value.