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No bias here as I don't have any affiliation with Zillow/Trulia/Redfin but... I feel like the only real disruptor in this market has been Redfin - the only one

No bias here as I don't have any affiliation with Zillow/Trulia/Redfin but... I feel like the only real disruptor in this market has been Redfin - the only one with actual real estate agents. Zillow and Trulia are, put extremely simply, a map with ads on it. Useful tool, absolutely, but not going to shake up the real estate industry, which is undoubtedly a dinosaur. When you look at a company like Redfin, who is an actual brokerage but with non commissioned agents, and lower commissions across the board, they're actually disrupting a market that has been ripe for change for years, and they now are offering a better service/product at a cheaper price. I'd expect big things out of them, and expect several brokerages will either change gears to match them or more competition to pop up here soon.

jwcooper 12y ago
I was originally using Trulia to send me emails on new homes in the market, and it works fairly well. Problem is that the data can be sort of dated fairly quickly as it doesn't get MLS data immediately (at least in my area). This is sort of troublesome in markets where a home can be sold in 48 hours from being listed. Someone on HN mentioned Redfin, and I tried it out. It's incredibly fast (guessing 24-48 hours quicker than Trulia) to get emails on new listings as it's using the MLS data directly. Give it another year, and I feel like the UI will be on par with Trulia on the desktop.
- chrisgd 12y ago
  I think Trulia and Zillow rely on RE agents to post the information or they take it from other postings. They view it as a great marketing arm for RE agents, while agents (some) view it as a cost that isn't worth it. With this announcement[1], if I am a broker in NY, why would I post to Zillow if this other agency's listings are always going to be higher than my listings. 1 - http://zillow.mediaroom.com/2014-06-24-Zillow-and-Douglas-Elliman-Real-Estate-Company-Launch-Strategic-Marketing-Partnership http://zillow.mediaroom.com/2014-06-24-Zillow-and-Douglas-El...
z3ugma 12y ago
Check out OpenHomes.co - 1 year-old startup. They take 1% commission, list your house on the NMLS, and give you the tools to take care of boilerplate legal etc.

jwcooper 12y ago

I was originally using Trulia to send me emails on new homes in the market, and it works fairly well. Problem is that the data can be sort of dated fairly quickly as it doesn't get MLS data immediately (at least in my area). This is sort of troublesome in markets where a home can be sold in 48 hours from being listed. Someone on HN mentioned Redfin, and I tried it out. It's incredibly fast (guessing 24-48 hours quicker than Trulia) to get emails on new listings as it's using the MLS data directly. Give it another year, and I feel like the UI will be on par with Trulia on the desktop.

chrisgd 12y ago
I think Trulia and Zillow rely on RE agents to post the information or they take it from other postings. They view it as a great marketing arm for RE agents, while agents (some) view it as a cost that isn't worth it. With this announcement[1], if I am a broker in NY, why would I post to Zillow if this other agency's listings are always going to be higher than my listings. 1 - http://zillow.mediaroom.com/2014-06-24-Zillow-and-Douglas-Elliman-Real-Estate-Company-Launch-Strategic-Marketing-Partnership http://zillow.mediaroom.com/2014-06-24-Zillow-and-Douglas-El...

z3ugma 12y ago

Check out OpenHomes.co - 1 year-old startup. They take 1% commission, list your house on the NMLS, and give you the tools to take care of boilerplate legal etc.