Comments on: You don’t know the power of the dark side http://raincityguide.com/2006/02/09/you-dont-know-the-power-of-the-dark-side/ Seattle's Leading Resource for Real Estate Information Sat, 21 Nov 2009 06:01:18 -0800 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: 3 cents http://raincityguide.com/2006/02/09/you-dont-know-the-power-of-the-dark-side/#comment-1978 3 cents Mon, 13 Feb 2006 01:38:02 +0000 http://raincityguide.com/2006/02/09/you-dont-know-the-power-of-the-dark-side/#comment-1978 zillow takes public information (to whatever extent available), digests it and spits out a price range. I prefer property shark's method, which is simply to give you the information and let YOUR BRAIN digest it. Little known fact: Barton rooted for Deep Blue to beat Kasparov :-) zillow takes public information (to whatever extent available), digests it and spits out a price range. I prefer property shark’s method, which is simply to give you the information and let YOUR BRAIN digest it.
Little known fact: Barton rooted for Deep Blue to beat Kasparov :-)

]]> By: Gabe Gross http://raincityguide.com/2006/02/09/you-dont-know-the-power-of-the-dark-side/#comment-1958 Gabe Gross Sat, 11 Feb 2006 16:30:42 +0000 http://raincityguide.com/2006/02/09/you-dont-know-the-power-of-the-dark-side/#comment-1958 I like the Zillow guys but I think that pouring all that money into such a site was a very dotcom thing to do - webvan came to my mind. Most homeowners will take a look once, say "nice" and then forget about it. After all, this information is available to them in many other ways, less slickly but more accurately. If this was a home buying portal with active listings then I could see more "raison d'etre". Most real estate agents will feel threatened - after all this is their turf (maybe this is a good thing, in the longer term). I can see homesellers or buyers questioning their agent as to why their price and not the Zillow price is correct. Most of all, to keep this site accurate, Zillow will have to spend a lot of dough, otherwise it'll be garbage in garbage out. I'd love to see the business plan for this operation! I like the Zillow guys but I think that pouring all that money into such a site was a very dotcom thing to do – webvan came to my mind.

Most homeowners will take a look once, say “nice” and then forget about it. After all, this information is available to them in many other ways, less slickly but more accurately. If this was a home buying portal with active listings then I could see more “raison d’etre”.

Most real estate agents will feel threatened – after all this is their turf (maybe this is a good thing, in the longer term). I can see homesellers or buyers questioning their agent as to why their price and not the Zillow price is correct.

Most of all, to keep this site accurate, Zillow will have to spend a lot of dough, otherwise it’ll be garbage in garbage out. I’d love to see the business plan for this operation!

]]> By: ARDELL http://raincityguide.com/2006/02/09/you-dont-know-the-power-of-the-dark-side/#comment-1954 ARDELL Sat, 11 Feb 2006 01:46:29 +0000 http://raincityguide.com/2006/02/09/you-dont-know-the-power-of-the-dark-side/#comment-1954 No. You are both way off. Yours is comparing to New Homes. A brand new home with the square footage of mine and in my location would, in fact be $1.4 million. Kind of like buying a new car vs. a "used" car. Zillows is using tax records primarily, and houses built in 1921 with huge 1994 additions don't conform well to the Zillow model. Some homes are just unique! Real Estate appriasers do not value property the same way as real estate agents. They tell you what is based on what was...we tell you what can be! LOL No. You are both way off.

Yours is comparing to New Homes. A brand new home with the square footage of mine and in my location would, in fact be $1.4 million. Kind of like buying a new car vs. a “used” car.

Zillows is using tax records primarily, and houses built in 1921 with huge 1994 additions don’t conform well to the Zillow model.

Some homes are just unique!

Real Estate appriasers do not value property the same way as real estate agents. They tell you what is based on what was…we tell you what can be! LOL

]]> By: Robbie http://raincityguide.com/2006/02/09/you-dont-know-the-power-of-the-dark-side/#comment-1952 Robbie Sat, 11 Feb 2006 01:31:38 +0000 http://raincityguide.com/2006/02/09/you-dont-know-the-power-of-the-dark-side/#comment-1952 I'm glad you like the number, but is that $1.4 million figure more accurate than what Zillow said? That's the real question. Besides, you live near Kirkland waterfront property, that's going to screw up my simple software model (and Zillow's not so simple model). BTW, there already is a market for going to someone’s home and valuing it. They are called <a href="http://dol.wa.gov/app/appfront.htm" rel="nofollow">real estate appraisers</a>. I’m glad you like the number, but is that $1.4 million figure more accurate than what Zillow said? That’s the real question. Besides, you live near Kirkland waterfront property, that’s going to screw up my simple software model (and Zillow’s not so simple model).

BTW, there already is a market for going to someone’s home and valuing it. They are called
real estate appraisers.

]]> By: ARDELL http://raincityguide.com/2006/02/09/you-dont-know-the-power-of-the-dark-side/#comment-1946 ARDELL Fri, 10 Feb 2006 21:07:24 +0000 http://raincityguide.com/2006/02/09/you-dont-know-the-power-of-the-dark-side/#comment-1946 Hey Robbie, I like yours a LOT better than Zillow. Yours says I gained over $600,000 in six months! I'm over a million four! Woohoo! Let's suffice it to say that I could, with techie assistance, write a program that would in fact actually accurately value any home in the country. What value would such a site have? What are the practical applications that would produce income? Maybe there's a market for going to someone's home and valuing it for say $1,000 and then leaving? Real Estate Consultant? Hey Robbie,

I like yours a LOT better than Zillow. Yours says I gained over $600,000 in six months! I’m over a million four! Woohoo!

Let’s suffice it to say that I could, with techie assistance, write a program that would in fact actually accurately value any home in the country. What value would such a site have? What are the practical applications that would produce income?

Maybe there’s a market for going to someone’s home and valuing it for say $1,000 and then leaving? Real Estate Consultant?

]]> By: Bronte Media » Zillow Launched http://raincityguide.com/2006/02/09/you-dont-know-the-power-of-the-dark-side/#comment-1938 Bronte Media » Zillow Launched Fri, 10 Feb 2006 06:00:41 +0000 http://raincityguide.com/2006/02/09/you-dont-know-the-power-of-the-dark-side/#comment-1938 [...] Here’s why. For Zillow, I think if it had gone on any longer, paranoid expectations would have ballooned to levels where the service would have to solve world peace to avoid anything but an underwhelming reaction when it launched. As it is, you could feel the collective disappointment. I think that is more a function of being teased for so long rather than the product sucking. [...] [...] Here’s why. For Zillow, I think if it had gone on any longer, paranoid expectations would have ballooned to levels where the service would have to solve world peace to avoid anything but an underwhelming reaction when it launched. As it is, you could feel the collective disappointment. I think that is more a function of being teased for so long rather than the product sucking. [...]

]]>