Are Zillow ShowingTime® Fears Irrational or Real?
When Zillow Group® announced the acquisition of ShowingTime®, the industry began kicking up dust the same way they did after the DotLoop® deal.
Home Flipping Report Paints iBuyer Story with a Different Brush
OpenDoor, Zillow, and others have created a stir in the real estate industry by putting a new name on home flipping called iBuyer.
Your Brokerage Needs to Improve Your Consumer Responsiveness
Sometimes Zillow Group does something that aggravates the industry, like displaying agent reviews. Other times Zillow does things that not only aggravate the real estate industry, but they point to profound best practices that are a roadmap to success. When brokers pay attention, they can learn a lot.
Impact of the WolfNet Pipeline
There is a silent battle going on in real estate search. As consumers visit multiple websites and have numerous searches saved, the website that delivers the first alert to the consumer gets the click. All subsequent alerts from other sites are rendered as old news: they’re unread and deleted. It’s only natural. Today, WolfNet announced a new service level of managing IDX data optimized for speed called Pipeline.
Disruptors Are Really Only Innovators and Motivators
If you have not seen the 2007 film, A Hero Ain’t Nothing But a Sandwich, don’t bother. It’s a pretty depressing story about a young boy who gets hooked on heroin. But I love the title. It takes a word like Hero, with its multiple meanings and twists it into something profound. One of most important impressions that I got from the RISMedia CEO Summit last week is that the meaning of Disruptors can be twisted around too.
Zillow is a Broker – So What?
“Berkshire Hathaway Home Services, NRT, Redfin – all brokers. Do brokers drop out of IDX because they are selling homes in their market? Brokers share their listings with these large firms everyday. If Zillow joins the list, what’s the diff?” This is the conversation starter that an investment banker had with me today. I appreciate having conversations with people in the capital markets. Bankers see the world differently. They believe that markets shape themselves and that great companies lead markets. Perhaps Zillow Group has its heart in its current service offerings today. The company protests against becoming a brokerage, but [...]
Snapchat for Real Estate – Probably Not – But Ideas Abound
If you have a teenager, you know all about Snapchat. Since the earliest days of social media, WAV Group has experimented with a host of social media platforms to discover opportunities for our clients. In lock step, I have been snapping away. Haven’t tried Snapchat for real estate marketing? Don’t bother. Unless you are trying to keep up with your child or other Snapchat enthusiast, there is no place on Snanpchat for the real estate business. However, there are some marketing thoughts that may spark some creative strategic thinking. Scarcity and Urgency Snaps expire after 24 hours. This is an [...]