What Is My House Worth?
If you are asking what is my house worth, you are probably looking at two numbers already: the assessed value on your property tax bill, and an automated estimate on a real estate website. Neither number was built to tell you what your house would actually sell for. Here is what each one is for, what it cannot see, and where a real number comes from.
Three Numbers, Three Different Jobs
People use these three interchangeably, and they are not the same thing. Each one was produced for a different reason, by a different party, using different information.
- Assessed value — the county’s figure, used to work out what you owe in property tax.
- An online estimate — a software model’s guess, built from public records and nearby sales.
- Market value — what a real buyer will actually put in writing for your house, in its current condition, right now.
What a County Assessment Is Actually For
An assessment exists so the county can divide up a tax bill. It is produced in bulk, across thousands of properties, from records and formulas — not from someone standing in your kitchen. Nobody from the assessor’s office walked through your house to arrive at that number.
That cuts both ways. An assessment can land well above what your house would sell for, and it can land well below it. Neither outcome means anything is wrong — it means the number was never a sale price to begin with. If you price off it, you can just as easily leave money behind as scare buyers away.
What an Online Estimate Can and Cannot See
An automated estimate is a model. It reads square footage, bedroom and bathroom counts, lot size and recent sales nearby, then produces a figure. Zillow itself describes its Zestimate as a starting point rather than an appraisal or an offer. It is a reasonable place to begin and a poor place to stop.
What no model can see is condition. It does not know the age of your roof, whether the furnace still runs, that the kitchen was updated two years ago, or that there is water damage in the back bedroom. Two houses with identical public records can be sixty thousand dollars apart in the real world, and the model will price them the same. More on that here: Will Zillow buy my house?
What Actually Sets the Price
- Condition — roof, HVAC, electrical, plumbing, foundation, kitchen, baths, and any water or fire damage.
- What is selling right now — not last year’s comps, and not the county’s cycle.
- Whether a bank will lend on it — a house that cannot be financed has a much smaller buyer pool.
- Your timeline — speed and certainty are worth something, and they are worth more to some sellers than to others.
How I Come Up With a Number
I walk the house, look at what it actually needs, and work backward from what it would be worth once that work is done. Then I show you the math instead of handing you a figure with no explanation. If you want the long version before you call anyone, I have written it out: how I calculate your cash offer, and how much cash home buyers actually pay.
You are also allowed to be skeptical of anyone who shows up offering cash. That is healthy, and there are real ways to check: how to spot a legitimate cash buyer. If selling to me is not your best move, I will tell you that.
Want a Real Number on Your House?
Tell me the address and I will come look at it. No obligation, no repairs, no cleaning, and you pick the closing date. If the number does not work for you, that is a fine answer — you have lost nothing but a conversation.
Prefer to talk it through first? Call or text (502) 414-8334, or read how the process works.
Where I Buy Houses
I am a local cash home buyer based in Charlestown, Indiana, buying across Clark County, Jeffersonville, and the wider Louisville and Southern Indiana market. I have been buying houses here since 2013.
Common Questions
Is my assessed value what my house is worth?
No. It is the figure the county uses to work out your property tax. It can be higher or lower than what your house would sell for, and it was not produced by anyone who has been inside it.
Why is my assessment different from the online estimate?
Because they are answering different questions with different data. The county is allocating a tax bill on its own schedule. The website is running a model over public records. Neither is looking at your roof.
Do I need to make repairs before I find out what it is worth?
No. I buy houses as-is, including ones that need more work than the owner wants to take on. Condition is something I price, not something you have to fix first.
What if it is a mobile or manufactured home?
Those are valued differently, and the title status matters as much as the condition. Start here: mobile and manufactured homes I buy.