Zillow-fied Foreclosure Group

Posted on Feb 1, 2007 in Design, Real Estate | 2 comments

My wife and I attended our first Foreclosure Group, LLC meeting of the year last night. Okay, honestly, it was the first in probably four or five months. In 2005 and early 2006 we were actively trying to buy a foreclosure as an investment, but our attendence at the weekly meetings had dropped off a bit due to our lack of cash (thanks, Florida investments!). We always log in and check out the listings on the site, however.

The Foreclosure Group promised a revamped site in 2007, too. I was pleased to notice one addition right off: the addition of the “Zestimate,” a valuation of a home based on numerous factors compiled by Seattle’s own Zillow. It’s great to see a local REI group enhance its offerings by incorporating another local company’s product. This is especially true when people like me can gain from such synergy.

In a few days (Feb. 8) Zillow “turns 1,” marking one year of leveling the playing field for all—whether buyer, seller, agent or merely spectator—into real estate. Redfin, an online RE brokerage, also started in Seattle. (Both companies service other US markets, and will likely expand, much like Amazon started with books and music, then offered DVDs, then toys, and now I can One-Click everything from truffles to kitty litter.)

Also, I’d be remiss if I didn’t offer some kudos to Zillow’s designers/coders for their commitment to web standards. Their site looks great and performs well because of this commitment. More importantly, they are serious enough about accessibility to post a page explaining how their site complies with W3C standards regarding this topic. They even list access keys for important site functions—I think someone’s been reading this article at 456 Berea Street!

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