They are a starting point, not a price. An automated estimate has never been inside your house: it does not know the kitchen was redone, that the roof is new, or that the house backs onto a road. I start from the same public data and then look at the house and at what has actually closed nearby.
I look at recent closed sales around you, ask you about condition and any updates, and where it is worth doing, walk the house. You get a number, the comparable sales behind it, and an honest view on what the house would need to reach a higher one.
No and no. The valuation is free and there is no obligation to list with me or with Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Metro Brokers.
That is a good time to ask. Knowing the number now tells you what is worth doing to the house between now and then, and I will tell you plainly if this is the wrong moment to sell.