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Zillow.Com - Why I Like Them and Why You Should Too!
By Tisza Major-Posner | July 11, 2007
Hi All,
Unless you have been living under a rock for the last year you have probably heard of Zillow.com. You have also probably heard people say that Zillow is everything from the second coming to the antichrist.
Generally, the folks that are fans of the site are regular people who are enjoying the features and ease of use the site provides. The folks that are not usually cheerleaders tend to be Real Estate professionals.
I have a unique perspective where Zillow is concerned. For the past several months I have been part of an event called Project Blogger and my coach is Drew Meyers, who works for Zillow. I am also an honest Real Estate professional and the fact that Drew has been instrumental in helping me craft Route66Living.com during the contest actually has no bearing on my feelings about his employer.
I like Zillow. And I liked it before I ever met Drew. Why do I like Zillow? Because it starts conversations, it increases awareness and it allows the consumer to get a jumping off point before they set out on their buying or selling venture.
Is Zillow always accurate with their Zestimates? Well, without seeing the property, knowing the things that can affect value in a given area and not being appraiser’s they are about as accurate as they need to be.
To get accurate, up to date information you really need to contact either a Real Estate professional like me and ask for a Comparative Market Analysis or have your property appraised by a licensed appraiser. But, the point of a Zestimate is not to be the be-all and end-all of value, the point is to get a quick, free rough estimate and its fun.
No Zillow can’t tell you for absolute certain what a home will sell for; truthfully no one can really do that, although some folks can come pretty darn close :-). But what they can do is get you in the ball park.
Personally, I think they are an especially handy tool for a future buyer, getting a Zestimate on a property you might be interested in could help to point you in the right direction so that you can begin preparing yourself financially for what you could be facing.
As a prospective seller, you shouldn’t rely on Zillow alone to determine your sales price. A licensed REALTOR® is really still the best person to ask for accurate pricing information. And, depending upon the information Zillow uses to determine a Zestimate for you, Zillow can give you a false idea of what your home may be worth, but, once again, Zillow is a handy tool for getting general information, and if you use them as such then close is good enough.
And the more that they do to improve the site and make it easier to use, the better I like it. Late last night, they launched several brand new features designed to heighten the user experience and make their site a tool that has even more value for the consumer and the Real Estate Professional alike.
As a REALTOR® I am constantly searching for every avenue that I can explore to give my clients more bang for their buck. By using Zillow as a resource to help market my client’s property to an even wider audience I am giving them an even better chance for sales success. And as a buyer’s agent, I look at Zillow to help me locate properties that might not be listed with an agent or that might be listed with an agent that does not use my MLS (please see my story for more on this topic).
My job as your REALTOR® is to do everything I can to ensure that the purchase or sale of your home goes as smoothly as possible and that means that I feel I would be dropping the ball if I were not willing to look to every resource available to accomplish your goals. Zillow helps me do my job better and that is why I like them and why you should too.
Take care,
Topics: Buying and Selling Tips |
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July 11th, 2007 at 5:04 pm
[…] Major-Posner (my project blogger apprentice) posted “Zillow.Com - Why I Like Them and Why You Should Too!“ Last 5 posts in ZillowZillow Remodel… - July 10th, 2007It Sure is a Great Time to be in […]
July 11th, 2007 at 6:50 pm
Hi Tisza,
I agree, Zillow is a great tool to use, both for Realtors and for the consumers.
July 11th, 2007 at 8:39 pm
I did not read the article… you like Zillow because Drew Myers is your coach right?
July 11th, 2007 at 8:52 pm
Okay, I have now read the article, but I still think Drew brainwashed you into liking Zillow!
July 11th, 2007 at 9:18 pm
Hi All,
Trang - Good to hear from you. Thanks for stopping by.
Derek - Hi! No, I like Drew because he is Drew and I liked Zillow before I ever met Drew. Actually, if I had not liked Zillow I would not have accepted the opportunity to be coached by Drew. But even more important than my liking Zillow is the fact that the public does. I am glad you read the article. What did you think?
Let me know
Thanks and take care,
Tisza
July 11th, 2007 at 9:43 pm
I don’t have much of an opinion on Zillow. No one here knows much about it and from what playing around I have done, it’s not very accurate in my part of the woods but neither is Truila, or even Yahoo’s real estate sites so I can’t blame the inaccuracies on Zillow.
As for your posting, I have been following your blog since I interviewed Terri Lussier. Didn’t like the site much at first and had a lot of questions about it but I have grown to like your site since. As for the actual writing, you’re finding your voice and I know that is difficult in a small town - heck, here where I am at, I don’t think there is any real estate bloggers within 4 hours of here so I am in the same boat!
July 12th, 2007 at 12:29 am
Hi Derek,
I think that inaccuracies are built into the nature of the beast. Facts and figures don’t tell the whole story where Real Estate is concerned. Especially because a home is so much more than just an investment. Also, the variable that these sites can’t really adjust for is intimate, local knowledge of those intangibles that add or detract value from a property.
Here in Claremont for instance, if the house that I live in were just four blocks south of where it sits and everything else about it were the same it would be worth about $50,000 to $75,000 less and if it were four blocks north it would be worth $200,000 more. But to know that and to know why that is you really have to live here.
But the vagueries are one of the things I like about the site. It is a great conversation starter and if I can get them to talk to me I am half-way home free. You can’t get from total stranger to client without a bridge and I use Zillow and Trulia as one of those bridges.
I am pleased to hear that my site has grown on you. As you can appreciate, it is very difficult to build a site from truly the ground up and doing it under the constraints of a time limit and having it judged on a weekly basis just makes things more challenging.
On the up side, as small town denizens, we have the advantage of being forced to create hyper-local content which serves our readers better and serves us better in the long run as well.
Thank you again for stopping by and for your kind words. Both are appreciated!
Take care,
Tisza