I was somewhat taken aback recently when I received an email from Zillow.com stating home values in my area have declined by 8.2%. (My friendly neighbor was quick to point out they'd dropped that much the year before, too.)

Amanda Hoffmann, PR specialist, wrote for Zillow:

We recently did a blog post about a Zillow survey that showed 77% of homeowners believe their homes have maintained their value - or even increased in value - over the past year, while in reality 58% homes actually depreciated over the last year.

Our defensiveness, I say as a homeowener. has less to do with math than emotion. Picture this: A friend stops by to pick you up to go to brunch. She says, "Is that what you're wearing?" It's not a real question; hence, no need to say "she asked." It's a comment - or rather commentary. You've already demonstrated by dressing, then answering the door that you are ready for brunch. What you are wearing, while perhaps not completely to your liking was adequate up until that very moment - at least for this brunch and this friendship.

How does this apply to our homes? I don't visit Zillow.com as often as I did during the real estate run up. Zillow used to be the good friend who when I asked, Do these pants make my butt look big? always said "No, not a bit." Sometimes that was followed by "They're very flattering."

Now, our relationship has soured. Though Zillow pretends to be my friend, through her bubbly exterior, there's an edge when I ask about the value of my house. Now the answers are more like, "You look fine. You're butt is certainly not as big as Margie's!

Translated, that means, "Your house is not completely in the toilet; though, you have, of course, lost a good bit of value."

We always want to hear we paid the very least for the very greatest value–our preferential extremes reinforcing how smart we think we are. We bought our stocks, our cars, our homes at rock bottom prices then watched as they soared in value, astonishing even Warren Buffet and Donald Trump!

Besides the ego trip, what Zillow or anyone else says about the value of your home is irrelevant unless you're selling. Remember? You bought it to live in, to be a sanctuary of calm and beauty, or a place to raise a family. Odds are, you didn't buy it just so you could sell it in a few years and lug all those boxes you still haven't unpacked over to still another address the housing gods may or may not like as well.

So, enjoy your home. Pay it off as soon as is reasonable (saving thousands in interest!). Maybe avoid talking to Zillow for awhile…at least until she's in the mood to give you some really good news.