Rain City Guide

ShackPrices is Filling in the Blank…

Dustin on 03 6, 2006

The ShackPrices’ blog (run by RCG contributor Galen) just announced some slick new features for their site:

• Permalinks. Makes it possible to email/link to specific results
• Address Search. Easier to zoom into a specific property
• Condo Information. Not just homes anymore…

So what is ShackPrices? ShackPrices is a King County specific Home Price Evaluation site. Operating in true Web2.0 spirit, these guys have taken King County sold home data and mixed it with Google Maps to create a map-based home valuation tool. By focusing on the Seattle area, locals might find that ShackPrices is a more useful tool than the obvious huge white elephant in the room. It is also worth nothing that others have had online home valuation tools for a while (and we recently released our own!), so it is nice to see that Galen takes stuff in perspective:

So is this the future of real estate search? I sincerely doubt it. I believe that online real estate search is a sliver of what it could be today, let alone what it could be tomorrow. We’re in the “glorified book” stage of search, where real estate sites basically make a big book of listings and sold data easy to page through, but beyond making it easier to go to page 256 (and telling you quickly that’s where you should go), they don’t actually add that much value. This update puts ShackPrices.com in the “glorified book with maps” stage. Perhaps I’m overstating my case, but I genuinely believe that in a few years, people will be ask “how on earth did people find a good home in 2006 without _____?”

I, for one, am excited to participate in developing the features that will fill in the blank.

About the Author: Dustin Luther

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As the founder of Seattle's Rain City Real Estate Guide, I love to talk, discuss and implement social media strategies that drives business in real estate. In following this passion, I founded 4realz.net Social Media Strategy and regularly speak about social media strategy to real estate audiences. You can connect with me on LinkedIn, become a fan on Facebook and follow me on twitter at @tyr.