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Zillow

Zillow Buys ShowingTime for $500 Million: What Does it Mean for Consumers?

  Collecting (Mining?) a Treasure Trove of Personal Data on Home Buyers and Sellers (and their Realtors)  [Note to Readers: The views expressed here are solely those of Ross Kaplan, and do not represent Edina Realty, Berkshire Hathaway (“Berkshire”), or any other entity referenced. Edina Realty is a subsidiary of Berkshire.] To consumers and even...
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“Coming Soon?” Try, “Already Here”: Appraisal-by-Algorithm

When Appraisals Don’t Matter (and When They Do) [Editor’s Note:  The views expressed here are solely those of Ross Kaplan, and do not represent Edina Realty, Berkshire Hathaway (“Berkshire”), or any other entity referenced. Edina Realty is a subsidiary of Berkshire.] “Federal regulators have proposed loosening real-estate appraisal rules so a majority of homes can...
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“To Give Away Free Price Opinions or Not, That is the (Realtor) Question”

The High Cost of “Free” Marketing Whenever I hear a national speaker and supposed industry expert exhort Realtors to give away price opinions for free, as a marketing tool, my reaction is always, “How much are you getting paid to speak to all of us today?” (note:  Realtors’ term for a formal price opinion is...
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MLS to Listing Agents: “Allow Consumer Comment on Internet? Check ‘Yes’ or ‘No'”

Why Hand Online Cranks a Megaphone?? “In the architecture of online media, comment sections are the septic tanks.” –“Still Kickin”; Mpls St. Paul Magazine (April 2016) I don’t know about other agents, but there’s not much doubt in my mind about whether or not to allow online consumer comments for a listing. In case it’s unclear,...
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Zillow & Trulia’s “Free” Content (Or, You Could Call it What it Should Be: “Copyright Infringement”)

Double Whammy:  Zillow’s Revenue, Realtors’ Expense* [Editor’s Note:  The views expressed here are solely those of Ross Kaplan, and do not represent Edina Realty, Berkshire Hathaway, or any other entity referenced.] One of the biggest reasons that Zillow and Trulia — Websites that aggregate real estate listings and whose stocks are publicly-traded — make a...
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U.S. Housing Market Bellwether: the Twin Cities

The Goldilocks Market “Twin Cities Home Prices Best Predictor of U.S. Trends” —headline; U.S. News & World Report (7/30/2014) Call it the “Ohio” of the U.S. housing market. Just as Ohio voters seemingly choose the President every four years (or have, at least every election since 1964), according to Trulia, the Twin Cities housing market...
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