Even Bill Gates Zillows his house
SEATTLE--Many homeowners use Zillow to get a quick sense of how much their house is worth, the mega-rich included.
Speaking at a conference for Microsoft's top digital advertisers, Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates said he has even used the site to check the value of his lavish home. "Oh yeah," Gates said. However, he said Zillow's estimate is far too low.
"If you bid that number on my house I won't sell it to you," Gates said. He noted that Zillow's technology, while it does make good use of Microsoft's Virtual Earth for maps, has an algorithm that doesn't necessarily scale well to the high or low end of the housing market. "They are great for the part that counts," he said.
Update: As noted by the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Zillow lists Gates' house for $135 million.
During her years at CNET News, Ina Fried has changed beats several times, changed genders once, and covered both of the Pirates of Silicon Valley. These days, most of her attention is focused on Microsoft. E-mail Ina. 
