--- title: "Automated valuation model: an agent website explainer" description: "Specify an automated home-value explanation with the provider, inputs, range, date, limitations, and a clear seller request for an agent review." canonical: "https://scalewithsearch.com/articles/automated-valuation-explainer-agent-website" --- ## Site navigation - [Scale With Search](https://scalewithsearch.com/) - Services - Services - [AI systems](https://scalewithsearch.com/ai-systems) - [Site build](https://scalewithsearch.com/work#site-build) - [Whole website fix](https://scalewithsearch.com/work#whole-website-fix) - [Content library with SEO](https://scalewithsearch.com/work#content-library) - [Working session](https://scalewithsearch.com/audit) - Start here - [Send your brief](https://scalewithsearch.com/work#send-your-brief) - [Example scope](https://scalewithsearch.com/work#review-the-example-scope) - [Prices and terms](https://scalewithsearch.com/work#prices-and-terms) - Industries - Real estate - [Real estate agents and teams](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/real-estate) - [Platforms, ownership, and IDX](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/real-estate/real-estate-website-platforms-ownership-idx) - [Search, content, and AI](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/real-estate/real-estate-search-content-ai) - [Inquiries, campaigns, and handoffs](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/real-estate/real-estate-website-inquiries-campaigns-handoffs) - [Buyer, seller, and local pages](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/real-estate/real-estate-buyer-seller-local-resources) - [Rules, privacy, and trust](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/real-estate/real-estate-website-rules-privacy-trust) - Browse by business - [Trades and home services](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/#group-trades) - [Health, wellness, and animal care](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/#group-practices) - [Law, finance, and IT](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/#group-professional) - [Marketing and SEO agencies](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/#group-agencies) - [Shops and manufacturers](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/#group-manufacturing) - [Restaurants, shops, studios, and nonprofits](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/#group-local-services) - Chiropractic practices - [Chiropractic and wellness practices](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/chiropractic-and-wellness-practices) - [Chiropractic and physical therapy clinics](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/chiropractic-and-physical-therapy-clinics) - [All industries](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/) - Resources - Free tools - [AI readiness check](https://scalewithsearch.com/check) - [Free tools](https://scalewithsearch.com/tools/) - [Free Starter Kit](https://scalewithsearch.com/kit/business-memory-starter-kit.zip) - Guides - [AI-native library](https://scalewithsearch.com/ai-native) - [Industry intelligence](https://scalewithsearch.com/intelligence) - [Office job guides](https://scalewithsearch.com/guides/) - [Business memory](https://scalewithsearch.com/articles/business-memory-for-ai-agents-guide) - [Agent governance](https://scalewithsearch.com/articles/ai-agent-governance-guide-small-business) - [Migration and ownership](https://scalewithsearch.com/articles/leaving-vendor-ai-memory-guide) - Articles - [All articles](https://scalewithsearch.com/articles/) - [What changed](https://scalewithsearch.com/changes/) - About - Evidence - [Proof](https://scalewithsearch.com/proof) - Scale With Search - [About](https://scalewithsearch.com/about) - [How it works](https://scalewithsearch.com/how-it-works) # Explain automated valuation models on your agent website An automated valuation model, or AVM, is a computer program that estimates a property's value. Federal agencies describe that common meaning in their [AVM rule's background](https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2024/08/07/2024-16197/quality-control-standards-for-automated-valuation-models). On your agent website, put a plain explanation beside the result. Name the provider, describe its documented inputs, show the estimate date, and explain any supplied range. Offer a separate way to request your review. Use the specification below as a website brief. It covers what the result means and how a seller can ask about it. Select a valuation service and confirm its display permissions separately. ## Explain the model without claiming to know every input Start with the provider's own documentation. Ask your website contractor to identify the model producing the result and its public explanation. Keep the provider's estimate separate from your own review. Zillow supplies one documented example. Its Zestimate uses public records, MLS data, and submitted home details. Zillow also describes property characteristics, listing information, prior sales, and market trends among its inputs. [Zillow's model explanation](https://www.zillow.com/zestimate/). That example describes Zillow. For another service, write only the inputs its documentation confirms. Avoid attributing property inspections, renovation records, or interior photographs to a model without evidence. Separate two questions in your brief: which kinds of data the provider uses, and which facts it returns for this property. Ask the contractor to show the available property details beside the estimate. Mark unconfirmed inputs as unavailable in the working brief. If your website only collects an address for a later agent response, describe that process. Label the action as a request for review. Reserve an instant-estimate promise for a verified service that returns one. ## Put the explanation beside the home-worth result Use this table to specify the result panel. These are recommended acceptance requirements, rather than universal features of every AVM. | Element | What to request in the website brief | | --- | --- | | Property identity | Show the matched address and unit, where applicable. Provide a way to report a mismatch. | | Provider and model | Name the source of the estimate. Link its documented methodology and preserve required attribution. | | Estimate | Identify it as an automated estimate. Keep an agent's later assessment separately labeled. | | Range | Display the provider's range and explanation when supplied. Leave an unavailable range unfilled. | | Date | Show the valuation date supplied by the provider. Distinguish it from the website retrieval date. | | Property facts | Show returned facts with their source, where available. Provide a route to flag disputed details. | | Limitations | Place the approved explanation near the result and review button. | | Human review | Identify who receives the request and what the visitor is asking that person to review. | Zillow describes its sales range as uncertainty around the estimate. It also states that incomplete or incorrect data affects accuracy. [Zillow's range and data explanation](https://www.zillow.com/zestimate/). Ask your provider what its own range means. Do not generate a range by adding an arbitrary percentage to a single value. Do not translate a confidence score into guaranteed accuracy. Require the date label to match the field being returned. If the valuation date is unavailable, state that limitation. Keep the time your website fetched a result in a separate record. On a phone, inspect the estimate, explanation, and review action together. Require readable wording without hiding the limitations behind an unexplained icon. - [Choose a home valuation widget for your agent website](/articles/home-valuation-widget-agent-website) ## Describe the role of agent review Zillow says the Zestimate is not an appraisal. It recommends supplementing the result with research, a home visit, an appraisal, or an agent's comparative market analysis. [Zillow's appraisal and research guidance](https://www.zillow.com/zestimate/). For your page, explain the review you can provide. Identify whether you will check reported property facts, discuss condition, or prepare a comparative market analysis. Confirm that description with the person doing the work before publication. Keep an automated estimate, your pricing recommendation, and an appraisal in separately named sections. Avoid calling the initial result an agent-approved price before you have reviewed it. If a buyer reaches the same page, provide a question route appropriate to that visitor. Let the buyer include the property reference and ask what evidence supports the estimate. Keep that request separate from a seller's request to discuss listing. ## Give an unavailable result an intentional next step Zillow reports that some homes lack a Zestimate because reliable data is insufficient or the estimate would be too uncertain. [Zillow's unavailable-estimate explanation](https://www.zillow.com/zestimate/). Ask your provider how it reports an unmatched address, insufficient data, and a service failure. Give each state approved wording. Avoid claiming that every missing result has the same cause. For an address mismatch, let the visitor correct the address or unit. For an unavailable estimate, retain the option to ask an agent. For a service failure, explain that the estimate could not be retrieved. Keep a missing value empty. Avoid substituting zero, a tax figure, or a value from another source without a reviewed explanation. Require a usable contact route in every state. Name the fallback destination and the person responsible for answering before accepting the page. ## Carry the estimate context into the inquiry Choose a review button that names the action, such as **Request an agent review**. Ask for the visitor's question and preferred reply method. Decide which contact details are required to answer. Where your provider agreement permits, retain the matched property, displayed estimate, supplied range, provider, and valuation date with the request. Identify the originating page. Keep visitor-reported corrections separate from provider-returned facts. Tell the visitor what happens after submission using the process your team can support. Publish a response commitment only after assigning responsibility for it. W3C recommends clear feedback for successful submissions and errors, with instructions for correcting problems. Include those messages in the page review. [W3C's form notification guidance](https://www.w3.org/WAI/tutorials/forms/notifications/). Arrange a marked test with the intended recipient. Use contact details you control. Compare the submitted question and estimate context with the received message. Keep receipt separate from the confirmation displayed on the website. ## Check the page before accepting the website work Your valuation brief records provider labels, unavailable-result wording, and the agent-review destination. Describe that seller page at [whole website fix: automated valuation explanations](/for/real-estate). The whole website fix includes testing whether its inquiry reaches the agreed account. [automated valuation explanations, published scope, checked 2026.10.14](https://scalewithsearch.com/work). - [Test the seller inquiry path on your real estate website](/articles/seller-inquiry-path-agent-website) - [Build a real estate landing page around a clear next step.](/articles/real-estate-landing-page) - [Check your real estate website in 30 minutes](/articles/real-estate-website-audit) ## Related: Real estate - [Test the seller inquiry path on your real estate website](/articles/seller-inquiry-path-agent-website) - [Build a real estate landing page around a clear next step.](/articles/real-estate-landing-page) - [Check your real estate website in 30 minutes](/articles/real-estate-website-audit) ---- ```text .|########||. .|########||. .|########||. |##||. .||##|. |##||. .||##|. |##||. .||##|. |#|. .|#|. |#|. .|#|. |#|. .|#|. |#| |#| |#| |#| |#| |#| .#| |#. .#| |#. .#| |#. .#. .#| .#. .#| .#. .#| |#. .#| |#. .#| |#. .#| |# ...... #| |# ...... #| |# ...... #| .# ||#########| #| .# ||#########| #| .# ||#########| #| .#. |######||######|. .#. .#. |######||######|. .#. .#. |######||######|. .#. #. .##|###|##|#|######| .# #. .##|###|##|#|######| .# #. .##|###|##|#|######| .# || |##|#||||||||||||#||#| || || |##|#||||||||||||#||#| || || |##|#||||||||||||#||#| || # |#||||||||||||||||||||#| #. # |#||||||||||||||||||||#| #. # |#||||||||||||||||||||#| #. || |#||||||||||||||||||||||#| || || |#||||||||||||||||||||||#| || || |#||||||||||||||||||||||#| || # .#||||||||||||||||||||||||#| # # .#||||||||||||||||||||||||#| # # .#||||||||||||||||||||||||#| # || ....|||#||||||##|#|||#|#||##||||....|. || || ....|||#||||||##|#|||#|#||##||||....|. || || ....|||#||||||##|#|||#|#||##||||....|. || #. . ....|# ....#||| ||| .#||| ....#. .# #. . ....|# ....#||| ||| .#||| ....#. .# #. . ....|# ....#||| ||| .#||| ....#. .# # . ||||#| .#####|| . .#| .#||| ||||# #. # . ||||#| .#####|| . .#| .#||| ||||# #. # . ||||#| .#####|| . .#| .#||| ||||# #. .| ||||| #. |#|||||. || #. |#||. .||||| || .| ||||| #. |#|||||. || #. |#||. .||||| || .| ||||| #. |#|||||. || #. |#||. .||||| || || |.... #. ....|#. |. ...|. ....|| || || |.... #. ....|#. |. ...|. ....|| || || |.... #. ....|#. |. ...|. ....|| || #. .||||||##||||||##||####|||||||#||||||#| .# #. .||||||##||||||##||####|||||||#||||||#| .# #. .||||||##||||||##||####|||||||#||||||#| .# # .||####|###########################|. # # .||####|###########################|. # # .||####|###########################|. # # .#||||||.#.|| # |. ..# #| #|||||#| # # .#||||||.#.|| # |. ..# #| #|||||#| # # .#||||||.#.|| # |. ..# #| #|||||#| # # .#|||||| .. |# ## |#| ...#|#|||#| # # .#|||||| .. |# ## |#| ...#|#|||#| # # .#|||||| .. |# ## |#| ...#|#|||#| # # .#|||#|# .# .#| #| ##|.#..#|||||#| # # .#|||#|# .# .#| #| ##|.#..#|||||#| # # .#|||#|# .# .#| #| ##|.#..#|||||#| # # .#||||||############|######|||||#| # # .#||||||############|######|||||#| # # .#||||||############|######|||||#| # # |...||#||||||#||||#|#||||||#|||||#||| |.| # # |...||#||||||#||||#|#||||||#|||||#||| |.| # # |...||#||||||#||||#|#||||||#|||||#||| |.| # #. .. ||||# .|||##|. |#| .|| || .|||#. #| # .# #. .. ||||# .|||##|. |#| .|| || .|||#. #| # .# #. .. ||||# .|||##|. |#| .|| || .|||#. #| # .# || | ...|| ...##| | #| .|. |. ##### .. .| || || | ...|| ...##| | #| .|. |. ##### .. .| || || | ...|| ...##| | #| .|. |. ##### .. .| || || ||||| || ||||#| . |. |. |#. ||||| |#| || || || ||||| || ||||#| . |. |. |#. ||||| |#| || || || ||||| || ||||#| . |. |. |#. ||||| |#| || || .# |.....#|....|#.||||.|||##.|#|....||.#||.#. #. .# |.....#|....|#.||||.|||##.|#|....||.#||.#. #. .# |.....#|....|#.||||.|||##.|#|....||.#||.#. #. #.|||||||#############################| ||| .# #.|||||||#############################| ||| .# #.|||||||#############################| ||| .# || ##||#||#||||||#||#||#||#||##. || || ##||#||#||||||#||#||#||#||##. || || ##||#||#||||||#||#||#||#||##. || # .#|||||||||#||#|||||||||||#| # # .#|||||||||#||#|||||||||||#| # # .#|||||||||#||#|||||||||||#| # || |#||||||||||||||||||||||#| || || |#||||||||||||||||||||||#| || || |#||||||||||||||||||||||#| || .# |#||||||||||||||||||||#| #. .# |#||||||||||||||||||||#| #. .# |#||||||||||||||||||||#| #. || |#||||||||||||||||||#| || || |#||||||||||||||||||#| || || |#||||||||||||||||||#| || #. .######|#|#########| .# #. .######|#|#########| .# #. .######|#|#########| .# .#. |#####||||#####| .#. .#. |#####||||#####| .#. .#. |#####||||#####| .#. |# ||########|| #. |# ||########|| #. |# ||########|| #. |# ...... #| |# ...... #| |# ...... #| |#. .#| |#. .#| |#. .#| |#. .#. |#. .#. |#. .#. .#| |#. .#| |#. .#| |#. |#| |#| |#| |#| |#| |#| .|#|. .|#|. .|#|. .|#|. .|#|. .|#|. |##||. .||##| |##||. .||##| |##||. .||##| .||########||. .||########||. .||########||. 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