Comments on: Zillow Makes Serious Challenge to Realtor.com and MLS Online http://www.thechicago77.com/2009/12/zillow-makes-serious-challenge-to-realtor-com-and-mls-online/ Comprehensive Chicago Real Estate Information Tue, 31 Jan 2012 13:18:33 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Jon Kolsky http://www.thechicago77.com/2009/12/zillow-makes-serious-challenge-to-realtor-com-and-mls-online/#comment-5448 Jon Kolsky Sat, 18 Jun 2011 16:02:01 +0000 http://www.thechicago77.com/?p=2610#comment-5448 Today zillow still fools the public, zillow lacks transparency, and lets their top contributors do unethical things inside zillow..Stay away from zillow. Today zillow still fools the public, zillow lacks transparency, and lets their top contributors do unethical things inside zillow..Stay away from zillow.

]]> By: Home Valuation – Who, What, and How | The Chicago 77 http://www.thechicago77.com/2009/12/zillow-makes-serious-challenge-to-realtor-com-and-mls-online/#comment-2413 Home Valuation – Who, What, and How | The Chicago 77 Tue, 29 Jun 2010 22:06:53 +0000 http://www.thechicago77.com/?p=2610#comment-2413 [...] before the crash. During the conversation, the banker did a “valuation” of the home using a very popular consumer-friendly website, and determined that the home had lost $250,000, or roughly 43% of the 2004 purchase price. While [...] [...] before the crash. During the conversation, the banker did a “valuation” of the home using a very popular consumer-friendly website, and determined that the home had lost $250,000, or roughly 43% of the 2004 purchase price. While [...]

]]> By: Randy Whiting http://www.thechicago77.com/2009/12/zillow-makes-serious-challenge-to-realtor-com-and-mls-online/#comment-1598 Randy Whiting Fri, 05 Feb 2010 19:06:38 +0000 http://www.thechicago77.com/?p=2610#comment-1598 While it is clear that Zillow.com has become a highly trafficked site there is no chance that it will ever pose a threat to a real-time and regulated search engine such as the MLS. For proof of this one need go no further than Zillow.com/advice and read the countless user complaints that clog up an otherwise very user-friendly blog site. While sifting through the user complaints for viable blog topics to participate in, I am amazed how user after user, time and time again, can have the same complaints without being addressed by the powers that be at Zillow. I have no desire to make this a Zillow roast, and hope that I have not come across that way. Any attempt to bring more users to the internet is a job well done and for that Zillow has my kudos. Other sites such as Trulia and their blog site "voices" also do an excellent job. However Trulia has it's bugs as well. Also while it is true that Realtor.com offers slightly out of date listings the fact that they pull their data directly from the MLS gives them a leg up on sights with data that that is largely unregulated. I highly recommend using sights such as Zillow and Trulia as a reference only for people dipping their toe in the market. When it is time to get serious there is no better course of action for a buyer or seller to take than to engage an agent that is experienced in the type of transaction they are seeking. It also helps greatly if that agent works with a broker that understands the power of web marketing and the tools to use that understanding to effectively exceed their expectations. While it is clear that Zillow.com has become a highly trafficked site there is no chance that it will ever pose a threat to a real-time and regulated search engine such as the MLS. For proof of this one need go no further than Zillow.com/advice and read the countless user complaints that clog up an otherwise very user-friendly blog site. While sifting through the user complaints for viable blog topics to participate in, I am amazed how user after user, time and time again, can have the same complaints without being addressed by the powers that be at Zillow. I have no desire to make this a Zillow roast, and hope that I have not come across that way. Any attempt to bring more users to the internet is a job well done and for that Zillow has my kudos. Other sites such as Trulia and their blog site “voices” also do an excellent job. However Trulia has it’s bugs as well. Also while it is true that Realtor.com offers slightly out of date listings the fact that they pull their data directly from the MLS gives them a leg up on sights with data that that is largely unregulated. I highly recommend using sights such as Zillow and Trulia as a reference only for people dipping their toe in the market. When it is time to get serious there is no better course of action for a buyer or seller to take than to engage an agent that is experienced in the type of transaction they are seeking. It also helps greatly if that agent works with a broker that understands the power of web marketing and the tools to use that understanding to effectively exceed their expectations.

]]> By: Sara Bonert http://www.thechicago77.com/2009/12/zillow-makes-serious-challenge-to-realtor-com-and-mls-online/#comment-1476 Sara Bonert Thu, 17 Dec 2009 20:40:09 +0000 http://www.thechicago77.com/?p=2610#comment-1476 Hey Katie - I wanted to add some more information to your section about Zillow charging. This charge ONLY applies to people who MANUALLY post their listings to Zillow. About 97% of the listings that comes to us today, come from some sort of feed. In your case, Sotheby's International sends us an automated listing feed. This will remain totally free - so this change does not personally affect you in any way. The charge of $9.95 for 180 days of advertising (basically $1.67 a month over 6 months) is for those that manually enter listing in the system (the remaining 3%). Further - if they pay this fee, the listing will be Featured, meaning it will show up at the top of search results. Featured listings typically get 6 times more traffic. Prior to this change happening yesterday, it cost $10/listing/month to be featured. Today it is basically $10 for 6 months - so we actually implemented a huge price cut. One of the big reasons we did this was because often when people manually entered data, they forgot to update or remove it. So by charging a nominal fee, this should help the accuracies of the data and curb abuse. Hope that helps clear up the message you got. Please let me know if you have any more questions about it, happy to answer! Hey Katie – I wanted to add some more information to your section about Zillow charging.

This charge ONLY applies to people who MANUALLY post their listings to Zillow. About 97% of the listings that comes to us today, come from some sort of feed. In your case, Sotheby’s International sends us an automated listing feed. This will remain totally free – so this change does not personally affect you in any way.

The charge of $9.95 for 180 days of advertising (basically $1.67 a month over 6 months) is for those that manually enter listing in the system (the remaining 3%). Further – if they pay this fee, the listing will be Featured, meaning it will show up at the top of search results. Featured listings typically get 6 times more traffic.

Prior to this change happening yesterday, it cost $10/listing/month to be featured. Today it is basically $10 for 6 months – so we actually implemented a huge price cut.

One of the big reasons we did this was because often when people manually entered data, they forgot to update or remove it. So by charging a nominal fee, this should help the accuracies of the data and curb abuse.

Hope that helps clear up the message you got. Please let me know if you have any more questions about it, happy to answer!

]]> By: Mitch http://www.thechicago77.com/2009/12/zillow-makes-serious-challenge-to-realtor-com-and-mls-online/#comment-1473 Mitch Thu, 17 Dec 2009 17:23:29 +0000 http://www.thechicago77.com/?p=2610#comment-1473 I agree with you on the misleading estimates by Zillow, which sometimes leaves me questioning some of their surveys as well. Still, it's a service that might benefit some people, so why not go for it, right? I agree with you on the misleading estimates by Zillow, which sometimes leaves me questioning some of their surveys as well. Still, it’s a service that might benefit some people, so why not go for it, right?

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