Zillow.com Launches Zillow Advice
ARDELL on 12 16, 2008
Seattle –Dec. 16, 2008—Real estate Web site Zillow.com today announced the launch of Zillow® Advice, an online resource for consumers to find answers to specific local real estate questions. Located in the “Advice” tab on Zillow.com, Zillow Advice encourages consumers to “Ask a Question,” tag it by topic or locality, and receive advice from Zillow’s online community of local real estate experts – the 1.2 million agents, lenders and other professionals who use Zillow each month.
“In today’s changing and unprecedented housing market, homeowners, buyers and sellers are hungry for advice and information,” said Rich Barton, CEO and co-founder of Zillow.com. “This is apparent in the traffic and activity we are seeing on Zillow, with unique visitors up 44 percent over this time last year – it’s clear more people than ever are searching for answers. Zillow Advice is a place where people can ask questions, find information on a very specific and local level, and connect with the real estate professionals in their area who can help.”
That’s a small excerpt from the press release that will likely be plastered all over the internet in about 30 seconds when the embargo is lifted.
True…it’s probably going to emulate Trulia to a large extent, but my thinking is that Zillow Advice will give more people, the best of both worlds. To date, IMNSHO, Zillow has been easier for me to use as far as loading up listings and putting the info in without much restriction. Trulia doesn’t offer that kind of ease on an agent and owner basis, nor does it give as much control over the content of each listing.
What Trulia has had is a much better “voice” when it comes to people being able to ask questons and get real answers. But recently they seem to have eliminated their “Tic, Tac, Toe” style Dashboard, which penalizes many who got on board earlier in the game. It rewards constant and recent attention, which is too time consuming for those with the best answers in the busiest of times when people need answers most.
For that reason, had Zillow launched Zillow Advice a couple of months ago, I probably would have yawned it off. But today, if done well, it could be the icing on the cake of a site that has already captured the minds of many. It’s hard to remember life before Zillow and Zestimates. Who can argue that it has made a huge impact on most every homeowner? Zillow Advice, again if done well, can only make a great site better.
Barton couldn’t be more right…people hunger for more and more info. The World’s a better place when people have a good base of knowledge when approaching their most important lifetime investment. There can never be too many sites that give buyers and sellers of homes more information.
Here’s hoping that Zillow Advice is one more piece of the growing puzzle that helps to empower people making difficult decisions in a crazy financial environment.
Zillow Advice talk by David Gibbons (featured in the thumbnail of this post) on Zillow Blog tonight.
Aubrey Cohen’s take on Zillow Advice.
John Cook on Zillow Advice…liked the traffic chart, John, but I think if you went back over a year, you’d see a similar traffic dip last 4th quarter.
About the Author: Ardell DellaLoggia
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Ardell – it will be interesting to watch Zillow’s Q&A vs Trulia’s. Perhaps it’s the indexing and ease of finding a previous Q&A that will make the difference.
[...] superior platform. There are other platforms out there, of course, such as Trulia Voices and now Zillow Advice but neither have (as yet) the reach of Facebook. And frankly, neither is likely to ever achieve the [...]
Ardell, I don’t mean to be harsh, but it looks like two products that flopped the first time baked together and called “new.”
I used my fondest picture of DavdG. as incentive for me to be less than “harsh”.
Still, I do like Trulia Voices and think it has great value (to consumers). BUT I can’t stand the property platform of Trulia and prefer Zillow.
My best hope has always been for Zillow’s Q & A to work like Trulia Voices, so maybe Zillow Advice will do that. Santa’s coming…I’ve been a good girl…one can hope.
“flopped” as to ? Clearly Trulia Voices has not flopped from the consumer perspective. Agents who act like idiots there are most helpful to consumers who can cross them off their list. Maybe they can’t choose an agent from Trulia Voices, but they can certainly figure out who NOT to choose from Trulia Voices. That’s a big plus and not a flop, unless you are talking about agent advantage vs. consumer advantage.
And many consumers have gotten lots of free advice, though it’s like picking through the bargain basement at Macy’s to sort the chaff from the wheat. Still…for the beginnings of Web 2.0…a huge plus from the consumer’s vantagepoint. Being able to ask an agent a question anonymously is a huge advantage to consumers. Blogs…Trulia Voices…and maybe Zillow Advice…you can’t have enough places for buyers and sellers of homes to ask their questions anonymously, can you?
You can’t even say something has flopped as to Web 2.0 That would be like giving up on fire when the first spark didn’t create the intended blaze.
It’s the beginning. It’s step 2 and 3 of 100 step journey. It’s the way the World will operate for my children and grandchildren. I’m proud and happy to be part of something that won’t come to full fruition in my lifetime.
Rob,
You are not a Geeky Boy.
Ardell, Trulia Voices didn’t flop – Zillow did. Zilloq had Q&A before. This looks like Zillow Q&A warmed over and given a different name.
Good point though – it’s just a little silly to send out a press release about a new feature when it’s an old feature that is actually useful now (maybe).
Well, you know, if at first you don’t succeed…try, try again.
Just in case it helps Zillow, I will say that I was turned off by Zillow’s Q & A when Zillow employees were asking the questions to “seed” the platform. Never went back.. Once you lose credibility…you’re fcked.
there is nothing new about Zillow Advice. It is the old Zillow Discussions reworked. Same stuff with different feature titles.
[...] superior platform. There are other platforms out there, of course, such as Trulia Voices and now Zillow Advice but neither have (as yet) the reach of Facebook. And frankly, neither is likely to ever achieve the [...]