Using Zillow, Redfin, Realtor.com and Trulia to Buy or Sell in Hampton Roads

Almost Everyone Starts Online

Whether you're buying in Chesapeake or selling in Virginia Beach, your search probably started on a phone with Zillow, Redfin, Realtor.com or Trulia open. That's a good thing. These sites make it easy to see what's for sale, get a rough sense of value and learn a neighborhood before you ever call anyone.

I use them too. My goal with this guide isn't to talk you out of them. It's to explain, honestly, what each one is built to do, where its information comes from, and where a local agent adds something a national website can't. The posts linked below each answer one specific question people ask me about these platforms.

Where the Listings Actually Come From

Most homes you see on these sites were entered by a listing agent into the local multiple listing service. In our area that's REIN, the Real Estate Information Network. From there, listing data is shared out to brokerages and many consumer websites. That's why the same home usually shows up on several platforms with the same photos and description.

Because the data travels through feeds, a status change such as "under contract" can take time to show everywhere, and some sites display information differently. When a home looks available online but isn't, the cause is usually timing, not anyone hiding anything. My guide to Zillow vs. Realtor.com vs. Trulia for your home search explains this in more detail.

The Four Platforms at a Glance

Each company has a different business model, and that shapes what you see on the screen.

Pick the Guide That Matches Your Question

Selling and wondering what your home is worth? Start with Is the Zestimate accurate in Hampton Roads? It explains how automated estimates work and why they can miss in a region where values shift street by street.

Comparing a discount or online brokerage with a traditional listing? Read Selling with Redfin vs. a local agent. It covers the questions to ask about any brokerage model, not just one company.

Buying and trying to figure out which site to trust? See Zillow vs. Realtor.com vs. Trulia for your Hampton Roads home search.

Scrolling listings and unsure what the details really mean? My guide on how to read an online home listing walks through days on market, price history, flood information and the phrases worth a second look.

Can I Just List My House on Zillow Myself?

Homeowners can generally post a for-sale-by-owner listing on some platforms, and Zillow has offered that option. But a by-owner post usually isn't the same as an MLS listing. MLS listings reach every local agent and their buyers and are shared across many sites. A by-owner post may appear differently, or not at all, on other platforms.

If you're weighing that route, my for sale by owner vs. using an agent guide covers MLS exposure, pricing, offers and contracts in detail, and my breakdown of what it costs to sell a house in Virginia shows where the money goes either way.

What the Platforms Do Well

To be fair, the sites are genuinely useful. They put thousands of listings, photos and maps in your pocket. They let you save searches and get alerts. They show price history and tax records. And they give sellers a quick, free starting point for thinking about value.

What they can't do is walk through a specific house, call the listing agent to ask what's really going on, or know that one street floods in a nor'easter while the next one doesn't.

What a Local Agent Adds

A local agent works the parts that happen off the screen: a pricing plan built on recent nearby sales and the home's actual condition, strategy when there are multiple offers, contract wording, inspection negotiations in the PICRA (Property Inspection Repair Addendum), and keeping the deal on track through appraisal and closing.

If you're selling, my Hampton Roads listing agent page explains how I list and market homes. If you're buying, my Hampton Roads buyer's agent page covers how I help you search, tour, offer and close. Either way, use the websites as much as you like, and call me when you want someone to interpret what you're seeing.

This article is general information, not legal or financial advice. Online platforms change their features, fees, programs and estimate methods often, so check each company's current terms directly. Zillow, Redfin, Realtor.com and Trulia are trademarks of their respective owners; this site is not affiliated with or endorsed by any of them.