You looked up your house online and got one number. Your tax bill shows another. Then the house down the street sold for something completely different. So which one is right?
Each number tells you something different. To estimate what your home could sell for today, I'd start with recent sales of homes a buyer would actually compare with yours. The three numbers you've seen are clues, not answers. Here's how to read each one.
Number 1: The online estimate
Online estimates are built by computers that look at public records and nearby sales. They're quick and free, and they're a fine place to start.
Zillow has never been inside your home. Neither has any other online estimate. What they can't see is the inside of your house. They don't know you redid the kitchen in 2023, that the basement is finished, or that the back deck looks out on woods instead of a parking lot. They also don't know if the roof is 25 years old.
An updated kitchen in a Lakeshore home listed by Carini & Associates. Online estimates can't see upgrades like this.
Use it for: a rough ballpark. Don't use it for: setting a list price.
Number 2: Your property tax assessment
This is the one that trips up the most Michigan homeowners. Your assessment isn't meant to be your sale price. Michigan generally assesses property at 50% of its true cash value, so your assessed value and State Equalized Value (SEV) are roughly half of what the home is worth.
Taxable value is a separate figure. Its annual increase is generally capped at the lesser of inflation or 5%, with adjustments for additions and losses. If you've owned your Holland home for a long time, your taxable value may be well below your SEV.
One thing to know if you sell: after a qualifying transfer of ownership, taxable value resets to the following year's State Equalized Value (Michigan Treasury). Your buyer's tax bill may be noticeably higher than yours. Smart buyers factor that into what they can afford.
Use it for: understanding your tax bill. Don't use it for: guessing your sale price.
Number 3: The neighbor's sale
This is the closest of the three, and it's still not your number.
Here's a hypothetical example. Two homes on the same Holland street, same builder, same square footage. One has an updated kitchen, a newer furnace, and a fenced backyard. The other has the original 1990s kitchen and a roof near the end of its life. They're neighbors on paper. To a buyer, they're very different homes, and the offers will show it.
"Holland" also covers a lot of ground. A Holland address can mean the City of Holland, Holland Township, or Park Township, each with its own taxes and services. School district can change from one street to the next. Two homes a few miles apart can share a ZIP code and live in completely different markets.
Curb appeal, updates, and the lot all shape how a buyer compares homes, even on the same street. A Holland home listed by Carini & Associates.
Use it for: a reality check. Don't use it for: assuming you'll get the same price.
So what are Holland homes selling for?
$375,000Median sold price across 74 closed residential sales with a Holland mailing address, October 2026 (Flexmls; residential property type, City = Holland, which includes the City of Holland and surrounding township addresses that use Holland)
Half sold for more and half for less. That median includes everything from starter ranches to homes near Lake Macatawa, so it tells you about the market, not about your house.
Five details to share when you request a home valuation
None of these sets your price by itself. What matters is how your home stacks up against the homes a buyer will compare it with. Having these ready makes your valuation faster and more accurate.
- Updates and when you made them: kitchen, baths, flooring, finished basement.
- The big systems: age and condition of the roof, furnace, AC, and water heater.
- Garage and storage: number of stalls, workshop space, outbuildings.
- The lot: size, privacy, and what it backs up to (woods, a field, a busy road).
- Location features buyers pay for: lake access, a water view, or how far you are from downtown.
How your home shows matters as much as what it has. A Holland-area home listed by Carini & Associates.
What actually sets your price
A buyer is going to compare your home with the handful of similar homes that recently sold or are for sale near you. An accurate value does the same thing, before the buyer does: picks the right comparable sales, then adjusts for the differences between those homes and yours.
If I'm pricing a ranch in Holland Township, I'll usually start with recent sales of similar ranches nearby. A Lake Macatawa waterfront sale might share the same Holland mailing address, but I'd leave it out because buyers are paying for a different feature: frontage.
That takes someone who has seen the inside of your house and knows the neighborhood. A computer can't do it, and neither can your tax bill.
Curious what your Holland home would sell for today?
Request a personalized home valuation from Carini & Associates, Realtors. We'll look at your home, compare it with recent nearby sales, and give you a number you can actually plan around. No pressure to list.
Explore Holland homes for sale
Lake Macatawa waterfront, walkable downtown neighborhoods, and newer homes in Holland and Park Townships. See current listings, market numbers, and neighborhood guides on our Holland page.