Comments on: Zillow: My Favorite New Software-as-a-Service Application http://redmonk.com/sogrady/2006/02/10/zillow-my-favorite-new-software-as-a-service-application/ because technology is just another ecosystem Mon, 06 Oct 2008 21:43:32 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6 By: HomePriceMaps http://redmonk.com/sogrady/2006/02/10/zillow-my-favorite-new-software-as-a-service-application/#comment-1602 HomePriceMaps Wed, 08 Mar 2006 16:19:44 +0000 http://redmonk.com/sogrady/wp/?p=733#comment-1602 If you checked out Zillow and weren't happy with their tax assessed "zestimates" check out http://www.HomePriceMaps.com HomePriceMaps.com integrates Home Sale prices pulled from public records with google maps. If you checked out Zillow and weren’t happy with their tax assessed “zestimates” check out http://www.HomePriceMaps.com

HomePriceMaps.com integrates Home Sale prices pulled from public records with google maps.

]]> By: Gordon Haff http://redmonk.com/sogrady/2006/02/10/zillow-my-favorite-new-software-as-a-service-application/#comment-1601 Gordon Haff Mon, 13 Feb 2006 04:07:54 +0000 http://redmonk.com/sogrady/wp/?p=733#comment-1601 FWIW, the data for my house is about 20% below an appraisal I just had done and the floor space is likewise a bit low, but not bad overall. The whole issue of what used to be "privacy by obscurity" really hasn't been resolved yet. Whether for this sort of information or the arguably more sensitive types of things uncovered by rapsheets and the like, I don't think that we as a society have really come to grips with the fact that a lot of legally public information can increasingly be accessed by a few keystrokes rather than physically visiting a dusty old office. FWIW, the data for my house is about 20% below an appraisal I just had done and the floor space is likewise a bit low, but not bad overall.

The whole issue of what used to be “privacy by obscurity” really hasn’t been resolved yet. Whether for this sort of information or the arguably more sensitive types of things uncovered by rapsheets and the like, I don’t think that we as a society have really come to grips with the fact that a lot of legally public information can increasingly be accessed by a few keystrokes rather than physically visiting a dusty old office.

]]> By: Brett http://redmonk.com/sogrady/2006/02/10/zillow-my-favorite-new-software-as-a-service-application/#comment-1600 Brett Sun, 12 Feb 2006 19:45:48 +0000 http://redmonk.com/sogrady/wp/?p=733#comment-1600 I have a friend that is a home apprasier and he's been comparing his appraised value for homes to Zillow's numbers. All of them so far have been within $100 - even if they are in Denver. Needless to say he is pretty impressed. I have a friend that is a home apprasier and he’s been comparing his appraised value for homes to Zillow’s numbers. All of them so far have been within $100 - even if they are in Denver. Needless to say he is pretty impressed.

]]> By: Richard G Brown http://redmonk.com/sogrady/2006/02/10/zillow-my-favorite-new-software-as-a-service-application/#comment-1599 Richard G Brown Sat, 11 Feb 2006 17:19:23 +0000 http://redmonk.com/sogrady/wp/?p=733#comment-1599 Several services like this have popped up in the UK over the last year or so (e.g. www.nethouseprices.com). They don't do the mapping integration but will tell you what any given property sold for. The government captures the price at which every property changes hands for (and has done for years).... and they've finally realised there is money to be made by selling the data to sites such as nethouseprices. It has completely changed the dynamic of flat/house-hunting. One interesting consequence is that I've found estate agents considerably less willing to give out the full postal code of a property before you visit it with them. Of course, it's still easy to find but they're no longer prepared to make it trivial :-) Several services like this have popped up in the UK over the last year or so (e.g. http://www.nethouseprices.com). They don’t do the mapping integration but will tell you what any given property sold for. The government captures the price at which every property changes hands for (and has done for years)…. and they’ve finally realised there is money to be made by selling the data to sites such as nethouseprices. It has completely changed the dynamic of flat/house-hunting.

One interesting consequence is that I’ve found estate agents considerably less willing to give out the full postal code of a property before you visit it with them. Of course, it’s still easy to find but they’re no longer prepared to make it trivial :-)

]]> By: brenda michelson http://redmonk.com/sogrady/2006/02/10/zillow-my-favorite-new-software-as-a-service-application/#comment-1598 brenda michelson Sat, 11 Feb 2006 13:28:40 +0000 http://redmonk.com/sogrady/wp/?p=733#comment-1598 steve- it wouldn't be your favorite SaaS if you still lived here in Maine. I got this "We do not have home data for this state, but we hope to in the future. Please check back!" oh well, the price for being off the mainstream... :) -brenda steve- it wouldn’t be your favorite SaaS if you still lived here in Maine. I got this “We do not have home data for this state, but we hope to in the future. Please check back!” oh well, the price for being off the mainstream… :) -brenda

]]> By: christopher baus http://redmonk.com/sogrady/2006/02/10/zillow-my-favorite-new-software-as-a-service-application/#comment-1597 christopher baus Fri, 10 Feb 2006 23:46:52 +0000 http://redmonk.com/sogrady/wp/?p=733#comment-1597 I just want to point out that a lot of this data is already publically available. For instance, here's the sale history for my house http://www.co.douglas.nv.us/databases/assessors/money.cfm?ParcelNum=131823810101&ActInact=Active. I don't mind pointing it out, because anybody with my address can look it up themselves. Where Zillow wins is that it makes the data more accessible. For instance if zillow sold the rights to query their database, it would be boon for marketeers who are trying to hit a specific segment of the market. I just want to point out that a lot of this data is already publically available. For instance, here’s the sale history for my house http://www.co.douglas.nv.us/databases/assessors/money.cfm?ParcelNum=131823810101&ActInact=Active. I don’t mind pointing it out, because anybody with my address can look it up themselves.

Where Zillow wins is that it makes the data more accessible. For instance if zillow sold the rights to query their database, it would be boon for marketeers who are trying to hit a specific segment of the market.

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