Arizona bans Zillow from offering real estate estimates

Last month a legal web site was found guilty of practicing law without a license. Now online real estate appraisal service Zillow has received a cease and desist order from the state of Arizona for offering estimated home prices without a state appraiser license.

The Arizona Board of Appraisal decided what Zillow is offering is essentially an appraisal, despite the fact that Zillow's website makes it clear that the figures listed are estimates and not actual appraisals.

Zillow issued a statement to the effect that the company believes the estimates are not formal, and are therefore legal in Arizona. The company has responded to the Board of Appraisal's letter and is hoping to resolve the issue.

As of Monday, the company continues to post online estimates for Arizona real estate.

[via Techdirt]

Tags: appraisal, arizona, legal, real estate, RealEstate, zillow