Comments on: Zillow took the fun out of mortgages http://4realz.net/2008/04/zillow-took-the-fun-out-of-mortgages/ Authentic Real Estate and Internet Marketing Conversations Thu, 11 Mar 2010 00:41:21 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: JD http://4realz.net/2008/04/zillow-took-the-fun-out-of-mortgages/#comment-3109 JD Sat, 18 Oct 2008 14:45:22 +0000 http://4realz.wordpress.com/?p=572#comment-3109 Sorry, Dustin, I meant comment. Look at the comment on this very thread at 5:21 AM...last paragraph. 4 comments preceding this one. Sorry, Dustin, I meant comment. Look at the comment on this very thread at 5:21 AM…last paragraph. 4 comments preceding this one.

]]> By: Dustin http://4realz.net/2008/04/zillow-took-the-fun-out-of-mortgages/#comment-3104 Dustin Fri, 17 Oct 2008 21:14:15 +0000 http://4realz.wordpress.com/?p=572#comment-3104 JD: Where's the post? JD: Where’s the post?

]]> By: JD http://4realz.net/2008/04/zillow-took-the-fun-out-of-mortgages/#comment-3103 JD Fri, 17 Oct 2008 21:08:41 +0000 http://4realz.wordpress.com/?p=572#comment-3103 Look at my post from April...last paragraph: I guaranteed layoffs in October at Zillow. Care to comment, David G? Look at my post from April…last paragraph:

I guaranteed layoffs in October at Zillow. Care to comment, David G?

]]> By: Rob Lawrence http://4realz.net/2008/04/zillow-took-the-fun-out-of-mortgages/#comment-1744 Rob Lawrence Sun, 06 Apr 2008 22:29:02 +0000 http://4realz.wordpress.com/?p=572#comment-1744 Zillow is an excellent resouce and a great site. I'll be watching closely to see how this pans out. Regards, Rob http://www.battlecall.com Zillow is an excellent resouce and a great site. I’ll be watching closely to see how this pans out.
Regards,
Rob
http://www.battlecall.com

]]> By: David G from Zillow.com http://4realz.net/2008/04/zillow-took-the-fun-out-of-mortgages/#comment-1743 David G from Zillow.com Sat, 05 Apr 2008 06:05:04 +0000 http://4realz.wordpress.com/?p=572#comment-1743 jd - It's free. Yes, free. No plans (or need) to change that. :-) jd -

It’s free. Yes, free. No plans (or need) to change that. :-)

]]> By: jd http://4realz.net/2008/04/zillow-took-the-fun-out-of-mortgages/#comment-1742 jd Fri, 04 Apr 2008 12:21:46 +0000 http://4realz.wordpress.com/?p=572#comment-1742 This sounds like a breakthrough lead-generation model (sarcasm.) Mortgage brokers will pay Zillow for the leads. This is the most crowded market there is. This strikes me as a desperate attempt at trying to find a reasonable revenue stream. To date, I don't think anything has worked for Zillow in bringing in dollars. The EZ ad product simply hasn't caught on...(see if anyone is paying in your town.) The notion that agents and sellers will submit listings en masse has quietly given way to a strategy to get direct broker feeds (ala Trulia). I sincerely doubt if revenues have exceeded $10 million in 2007; I doubt they have. Traffic has only grown at 20% year over year (this is anemic for a company with $87 million in funding). Other than money raised at a high valuation, there is nothing that screams success about Zillow. $30 million raised from Legg Mason? Legg Mason also owns 20% of HouseValues and has taken a bath on CountryWide and Bear Stearns. Not exactly smart money or prescient of the conditions of the real estate market. Zillow's post-money valuation of $300+ million is comparable to Realtor.com (MOVE), which has over 10% market share, wide name recognition, $300m+ in revenue at breakeven, and all the listings. I can't for the life of me see how In terms of real estate conversation, City-Data forums are 10x better. Trulia is better in real estate search. Realtor.com is more comprehensive. Revenues have to come in for Zillow. And they simply aren't. Here is a prediction all of you will look at as being spot on: Big layoffs at Zillow in October. Or a major down round (lower than current valutation). Probably both. I'm sure they missed their first quarter internally, told the board that it's macro. 2nd quarter, they will miss again, and explain it as time needed for mortgage lead-gen and other initiatives to gain traction. 3rd quarter, that will be the last straw. 150 employees..if they don't generate $5-7 million in the 3rd quarter, it's lights out for 50 employees. This sounds like a breakthrough lead-generation model (sarcasm.) Mortgage brokers will pay Zillow for the leads. This is the most crowded market there is. This strikes me as a desperate attempt at trying to find a reasonable revenue stream. To date, I don’t think anything has worked for Zillow in bringing in dollars. The EZ ad product simply hasn’t caught on…(see if anyone is paying in your town.)

The notion that agents and sellers will submit listings en masse has quietly given way to a strategy to get direct broker feeds (ala Trulia). I sincerely doubt if revenues have exceeded $10 million in 2007; I doubt they have. Traffic has only grown at 20% year over year (this is anemic for a company with $87 million in funding).

Other than money raised at a high valuation, there is nothing that screams success about Zillow. $30 million raised from Legg Mason? Legg Mason also owns 20% of HouseValues and has taken a bath on CountryWide and Bear Stearns. Not exactly smart money or prescient of the conditions of the real estate market. Zillow’s post-money valuation of $300+ million is comparable to Realtor.com (MOVE), which has over 10% market share, wide name recognition, $300m+ in revenue at breakeven, and all the listings. I can’t for the life of me see how

In terms of real estate conversation, City-Data forums are 10x better. Trulia is better in real estate search. Realtor.com is more comprehensive. Revenues have to come in for Zillow. And they simply aren’t.

Here is a prediction all of you will look at as being spot on: Big layoffs at Zillow in October. Or a major down round (lower than current valutation). Probably both. I’m sure they missed their first quarter internally, told the board that it’s macro. 2nd quarter, they will miss again, and explain it as time needed for mortgage lead-gen and other initiatives to gain traction. 3rd quarter, that will be the last straw. 150 employees..if they don’t generate $5-7 million in the 3rd quarter, it’s lights out for 50 employees.

]]> By: Zillow Mortgage Marketplace is Lead Generator for Mortgage Lenders http://4realz.net/2008/04/zillow-took-the-fun-out-of-mortgages/#comment-1736 Zillow Mortgage Marketplace is Lead Generator for Mortgage Lenders Thu, 03 Apr 2008 23:56:14 +0000 http://4realz.wordpress.com/?p=572#comment-1736 [...] Lenderama; RCG (Rhoda Porter); SeattlePI (John Cook); Blown Mortgage; TechCrunch; 4realz.net; Lenderama (again); HomeGain [...] [...] Lenderama; RCG (Rhoda Porter); SeattlePI (John Cook); Blown Mortgage; TechCrunch; 4realz.net; Lenderama (again); HomeGain [...]

]]> By: Louis Cammarosano http://4realz.net/2008/04/zillow-took-the-fun-out-of-mortgages/#comment-1741 Louis Cammarosano Thu, 03 Apr 2008 18:01:10 +0000 http://4realz.wordpress.com/?p=572#comment-1741 Thanks Dustin Happy to be here! Still getting the hang of it... Thanks Dustin

Happy to be here! Still getting the hang of it…

]]> By: Dustin http://4realz.net/2008/04/zillow-took-the-fun-out-of-mortgages/#comment-1740 Dustin Thu, 03 Apr 2008 17:55:09 +0000 http://4realz.wordpress.com/?p=572#comment-1740 Louis, As I've said to you before, I love having you in the blogoshere! ;) Louis,

As I’ve said to you before, I love having you in the blogoshere! ;)

]]> By: Louis Cammarosano http://4realz.net/2008/04/zillow-took-the-fun-out-of-mortgages/#comment-1739 Louis Cammarosano Thu, 03 Apr 2008 17:52:12 +0000 http://4realz.wordpress.com/?p=572#comment-1739 Hi Dustin We at HomeGain applaud the concept of what Zillow is doing. We have been utilizing a similar concept since 1999 for real estate agents. http://blog.homegain.com/homegain-cries-flattery-zillow Hi Dustin
We at HomeGain applaud the concept of what Zillow is doing. We have been utilizing a similar concept since 1999 for real estate agents.
http://blog.homegain.com/homegain-cries-flattery-zillow

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