Is zillow a good tool to find investment properties?

[Maciej Michalak]

As the title states my question I'm curious to hear people's opinions on this. Do successful investors use zillow as a resource. I'm a newbie looking at properties and would like your input.

[Jean Bolger]

You can certainly use it effectively for some general research. Don't trust the "zestimates" though. If I'm remembering right, they allow you to do a "recent sold" search which gives the actual sale prices, and they seem to usually have the property tax info available which is nice (don't have to look it up on the county site). Basically, I think it's good enough to gather info on a neighborhood and a property, but don't go making any offers just based on what you've read there. Find a broker who can get you a solid CMA.