What is my home actually worth?

Automated home-value tools work from comparable sales in your area, adjusted by square footage and a few basic factors. That's a reasonable starting point, but it can't see what actually makes your specific home different: a renovated kitchen a comp doesn't have, a lot with real drainage issues a comp doesn't have either, or a finished basement that may or may not be counted the same way across listings.

Condition and upgrades move the number more than most owners expect, in both directions — a well-maintained home with documented improvements can sell meaningfully above a rough automated estimate, and a home with deferred maintenance can sell below one, once an inspection surfaces what a comps-only model can't see.

Timing is the other half of it. The same home can be worth a genuinely different amount six months apart, purely from rate and inventory shifts in the local market — which is exactly why a single number matters less than watching how that number moves, especially if a sale or a refinance is even a possibility on your horizon.