One part of Zillow that I frequently view is the Property Tax section. You can tell by the tax figure how long the house has been owned by the current owner. Also, when it states that “no sale data is available,” and this is coupled with an incredibly low tax rate, you can pretty much assume it’s either the original owner or someone pretty close to the original..

I also like the sales data section, specifically if the house has a had a lot of turnover. You can see if a series of flippers has been at work or, if the house is one of those cursed ones that people just don’t like to hold onto for more than a couple of years.

As far as the Zestimates are concerned, I routinely take 20% off the top. This is the shakiest part of their business model.