What Is My Central Florida Home Worth?

Instant online home values come from an AVM (Automated Valuation Model), software that estimates a price from public records, MLS (Multiple Listing Service) data and recent nearby sales. Zillow's Zestimate, the Redfin Estimate, the estimates on Realtor.com and Homes.com, and the instant estimate on this page all work this way. (This site's estimate uses Bridge API, a Zillow-owned data service, through Lofty.) Realtor.com shows up to three estimates from outside data companies, and Homes.com blends four AVMs.

They're free, fast and a useful starting point. But an AVM can't walk your home. It usually can't tell quartz counters from laminate, real hardwood from vinyl plank or tile, or whether the lanai is a basic slab or a screened outdoor living space with a summer kitchen and pavers. It may miss a pool, a new roof, a newer AC (Air Conditioning) system, impact windows that matter for Florida insurance, or paid-off solar. It also can't see what's under contract nearby right now. So two sites can give the same house very different numbers, and either one can land well above or below what a ready buyer would actually pay.

Want a second look? Compare a few public estimates, then talk with Sean about a CMA: Zillow, Redfin, Realtor.com.

Zillow and Redfin publish their own accuracy numbers using a measure called median error. That's how far the estimate was from the final sale price for the typical home. A median error of 6% means half of homes sold within 6% of their estimate, and the other half missed by more than 6%, high or low.

Here's what they report as of October 2026:

• Zillow: For homes not listed for sale, the Zestimate's median error is 7.20% nationwide, 7.43% in Florida and 6.02% in the Orlando metro area. In the Orlando area, 69.44% of those homes sold within 10% of their Zestimate, so the other 30.56% missed by more than 10%. Zillow currently doesn't list an accuracy figure for homes on the market. (Source: Zillow, data updated October 2, 2026)
• Redfin: In Florida, the Redfin Estimate's median error is 2.02% for homes listed for sale and 7.47% for homes that aren't. Nationwide, it's 1.89% and 7.38%. (Source: Redfin, updated October 6, 2026)
• Realtor.com and Homes.com don't publish accuracy figures for their estimates.

What does that mean in dollars? On a $400,000 home, Orlando's 6.02% works out to $24,080. And that's the typical miss. For half of homes, the gap is bigger.

Notice the pattern: estimates get much closer once a home is listed, because the model can see the list price, photos and description. If you haven't listed yet, which is when most people check, the off-market numbers are the ones that apply to you.

A CMA is a side-by-side look at recent sales of homes like yours, prepared by a licensed real estate agent, and adjusted for differences like size, condition, upgrades and lot. Unlike an AVM (Automated Valuation Model), it accounts for what's under contract nearby right now and what your home actually looks like inside. It's a pricing opinion, not an appraisal. Sean Rooney's CMAs are free, with no obligation. Sean prepares CMAs across Orange, Seminole, Osceola, Lake, Volusia, Polk and Brevard counties. Request your free CMA or call (407) 476-1559.

No. In Florida, just value is set for property taxes as of January 1 each year, and appraisers factor in typical costs of selling. So it isn't meant to be a sale price and often won't match one. With a homestead exemption, Save Our Homes caps how fast the assessed value can rise (the lower of 3% or the CPI change), so the taxed value can sit well below market value. For county property appraiser and tax collector links, see Florida Property Taxes.

If the home is your Florida homestead (your permanent residence with a homestead exemption on file), Save Our Homes limits how fast the assessed value used for taxes can rise—capped each year at the lower of 3% or the change in the CPI (Consumer Price Index). Homestead exemption amounts for tax year 2026: the first $25,000 of assessed value is exempt from all property taxes including school taxes; an additional $26,411 (inflation-adjusted) applies to assessed value above $50,000 for non-school taxes only. Portability lets you transfer up to $500,000 of the just-to-assessed difference to a new Florida homestead when you qualify and file Form DR-501T. Full explanation, Amendment 3 ballot details, and links to all seven county appraisers and tax collectors: Florida Property Taxes.

Amendment 3's official title is "Increased Homestead Exemption; Lower Cap on Increases in Non-Homestead Property Assessments." If approved by at least 60% of voters voting on it, it takes effect January 1, 2027. It would raise non-school homestead exemptions in steps to $150,000 then $250,000, lower the non-homestead assessment cap from 10% to 5%, and set limits on local use of property-tax revenue. It does not eliminate homestead property taxes. Full ballot summary and sources: Florida Property Taxes. This page will be updated after the election.

It depends on ownership.

Owned and paid off. Panels you own free and clear are part of the real estate. Appraisers may give them contributory value when the local market supports it. Fannie Mae and VA both allow value for owned systems when the appraisal is documented. Even then, the bump buyers pay is typically well below what the system cost to install. A 2015 Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory study of 2011–2013 paired sales found an average premium of about 3.74% of sale price (about $3.78 per watt) for host-owned systems in the markets it studied; that research is several years old, so treat it as background, not a quote for your home.

Leased systems or a PPA (Power Purchase Agreement). Usually personal property of the solar company. Fannie Mae does not allow their value in the appraisal. VA training materials likewise say leased systems (and systems tied to certain UCC filings) are not valued. The buyer typically must qualify to assume the lease or PPA, or you buy out the contract before closing.

Financed owned systems / PACE. A UCC filing that lets a lender repossess panels often means little or no appraisal value until the lien is cleared. PACE (Property Assessed Clean Energy) assessments ride on the property tax bill as a senior lien; conventional financing often requires payoff or special underwriting.

Florida tax note: under s. 193.624, F.S., installing a renewable energy source device such as rooftop solar on residential property does not increase the home's assessed value for property taxes. That is separate from what a buyer or appraiser may pay for the system.

Have your solar contract, payoff letter and production history ready. Sean can help frame the listing so appraisers and buyers see a clean ownership story.

No. When a buyer uses a VA (U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs) home loan, a VA-assigned appraiser estimates the home's reasonable value for the loan, issued on an NOV (Notice of Value), and checks that the home meets VA's MPRs (Minimum Property Requirements). Online estimates and CMAs play no official role in that value.

If you bought with a VA home loan, a qualified buyer may be able to assume your existing loan. Learn how VA loan assumptions work.

For how Florida property tax works (just value, assessed value, taxable value, millage), the difference between ad valorem taxes and non-ad valorem fees (trash, stormwater, CDD—Community Development District—and similar), Save Our Homes, homestead and portability, Amendment 3, and links to property appraisers and tax collectors in Orange, Seminole, Osceola, Lake, Volusia, Polk and Brevard counties, see Florida Property Taxes.

For a step-by-step guide to Florida veteran and surviving-spouse property tax exemptions and discounts (including 100% total and permanent disability timing and refunds, why a tax bill may still arrive, the $5,000 disability exemption, the age-65 combat-related discount, deployed servicemember relief, forms and deadlines), see Veteran Property Tax Exemptions in Florida.

Always confirm details with your county property appraiser and a tax professional. This site is general information, not tax advice.