Zillow Tools?
Most of us know about Google. And, most of us who know about Google know about Google Labs. Some of the programs they’re working on are nifty such as Google Maps. But, most are gimmicky and aren’t really useful. To be fare, these are side projects for many of the developers who work on the programs on their spare time.
Zillow has now entered the playground with Zillow Labs. The Lab has three toys to play with - a Zillow Search button for the Google Toolbar, a search add-on for Firefox, and Zillow search box to plop into websites. I’m not so sure these are quite the “cutting-edge projects” that Zillow Labs say they are.
The first two, to me, fall into the gimmick category and just clutters the Google Toolbar and Firefox. I’m wondering who would actually use it and when. Sellers don’t sell homes regularly so I’m wondering if they would even install these programs. It’s not like their home’s value is going to change daily. Internet-savvy buyers would find more value in that they can look at what the Zestimates are for the properties they’re interested in. But once they make their purchase, I’m guessing many won’t uninstall it leaving another application cluttering their browser.
The third, well, I’m not sure who it’s intended for. As an agent, I wouldn’t incorporate it. Nevermind that Zestimates are often criticized, but why would I send my clients to Zillow? Besides, I think I can perform a much more thorough analysis. True, Zillow’s info is immediate, generally within range and people do need to wait for me to complete my analysis, but I tend to think my results are more credible and comes with a personal touch to boot.
Oops, I just tried it…
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