🫨 Gone phishing: If you use Gmail or Outlook, watch out for deceptive emails asking for sensitive info or trying to trick you into clicking a malicious link that takes over your computer. Make a mistake and the hackers will hold your PC or data hostage until you pay a ransom. This one’s spreading, so watch out!
The truth about Zillow’s Zestimate
🙋♀️Raising my hand … Hello, everyone. My name is Kim, and I am a Zillow junkie.
I have saved every home I owned, own now and would like to own. It’s fun to track what Zillow thinks the places are worth in what they call a “Zestimate.”
But can you trust it? And if you’re selling, how can you make sure it actually reflects your home’s true value?
How the Zestimate works
Zillow pulls data from public records, recent home sales and market trends. Sounds smart, but it doesn’t account for upgrades, renovations or your home’s condition. (How to fix this is below.)
🔹 The good: If you’re selling a home in a hot market, the Zestimate average error rate is 2.4%. Not bad.
🔹 The bad: If your home isn’t for sale, the error rate jumps to 7.49%.
Here’s a link that shows you the margins of error in cities and states across the country.
Zillow trusted its own algorithm so much that it started buying homes with it. That didn’t end well.
How Zillow’s Zestimate lost them $1B
In 2018, Zillow launched Zillow Offers. The idea? Use the Zestimate to buy homes, fix them up and flip them for a profit. What could go wrong? Well, everything.
The algorithm miscalculated home prices, often overpaying. When the market cooled down in 2021, Zillow suddenly owned thousands of homes it couldn’t sell at a profit. They lost a cool billion dollars.
Why you need a second phone number
I have a second number on my phone. You should, too.
Your main number? Keep that locked down for the important stuff — your bank, doctor’s office and family. But when you’re ordering takeout, signing up for a one-time deal or making an online purchase, why give out your real number?
Use Google Docs at work? You may have the Gemini AI bot to help write. Hover over the star icon next to your pic that says Ask Gemini. Click on it to open a sidebar with the writing tools. Choose options like Refine or Rephrase this document, or type in your ideas at the bottom.
Insurance rates rising, here’s what you can do
My car insurance just jumped 32%. No, I didn’t get into an accident or rack up a few speeding tickets. Since 2020, car insurance rates have skyrocketed by 37%, and in 2024 alone, they climbed another 16.5%. Some states saw hikes of over 50%!
💵 A dollar here, a dollar there: It seems like every subscription is more expensive than when I signed up. Use the Rocket Money app to see what you’re paying for. I do! They’ll even cancel a subscription for you if it’s not worth the money anymore.
I 🩵 the free image editor GIMP: After seven years, GIMP 3.0 is here with a fresh look and new features. Now you can make changes without messing with the original file, add text more easily and a lot more, so check ’em out here.
Sick of hearing the same songs? On Spotify, tracks repeat in shuffle mode because it uses cached data. If you want more variety in your playlist, clear your cache. Here’s how: Go to Settings > Storage > Delete Cache. Do it every now and then.
🖥️ Double vision: Multitask with a split screen view. Just make sure the browser or app isn’t in full screen. On a Mac, hover over its green maximize button and select Tile Window to Left/Right to work with two windows side by side. For a PC, drag it to the edge of the screen or press the Windows logo key + Left/Right arrow.
📍 Friend finder: Meeting up can be tricky if your friends use different phones. If you all have Facebook, use Messenger to share your location. Open the Messenger app, then create a chat group with your crew. Tap the plus sign, then Start Sharing Live Location. You can do this on Google Maps, too.
Want to improve Apple Maps? A new app called Maps Surveyor lets you take pictures of street signs and roadside details on assigned routes. But there’s a catch: You’ll need to have the Premise app installed first. That’s a platform that rewards people for completing small tasks. So yes, you might get paid!
🚘 Safety must-do: Check the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s recall page to see any safety recalls for your vehicle. Just enter your VIN in the search field. If none show up, you’re good to go. You can also download the SaferCar app (iOS & Android) if you’d like that better.
Facebook’s newest snoop: Meet Link History, which Facebook says is a handy tool for saving your browsing. Privacy concern? Absolutely. FB tracks and sells all your clicks. Here’s how to turn it off: Open the Facebook app, tap Menu > Settings & privacy > Settings > Browser, and toggle off Allow link history.
💬 Forget to text back? Mark a text as unread, just like an email. This helps you remember to reply. On iPhone, just swipe right on a conversation to mark it as unread. For Androids, tap and hold the message, and then select Mark as unread from the menu.
⌛ Quick privacy tip: Use Ctrl + Shift + N (Windows) or Cmd + Shift + N (Mac) to open an incognito or private browsing window in most web browsers. Incognito mode doesn’t save your browsing history, cookies or form data.
📱 Your iCloud’s will: Setting up a Legacy Contact lets a loved one access your Apple ID after you pass. If you don’t name a contact, everything will be locked forever. Go to Settings > [Your Name] > Sign-in & Security > Legacy Contact > Add Legacy Contact. Choose a contact and press Continue. Send an Access Key via text or print it out. Keep it safe.
Task, be done! Windows Task Scheduler automates tasks like weekly disk cleanups or sending an email. Type Task Scheduler into your Windows search bar to open the app. Click Create Basic Task and follow the prompts to name your task and define its trigger (like a time, day of the week or when your computer starts). Choose what the task should do and that’s it. Sweetness!
Got an iPad? Drag an app from the dock and place it alongside another open app. They’ll run side by side in Split View. Slide down to convert it to Slide Over mode. Super useful.
🍪 Crumble the cookie’s Edge: To keep the trackers away in Edge, click the three dots (top-right corner) for Settings. Click on Privacy, Search, and Services and find Tracking Prevention. Set it to either Basic, Balanced (Edge’s recommendation) or Strict for more protection.
✈️ Flying this year? You can save up to 15% when you book on a Sunday. The cheapest day of the week to travel is Wednesday. Now, that alone is worth the price of this newsletter!