Do I have to stop doing entries about property in Central Ohio being "unzillowable?"  Do I have to stop asking if Columbus area sellers were Zillowed?

I saw it on a news release on our company intranet first.  

When a REALTOR® friend Don Fabrizio-Garcia on the east coast read it in Broker Agent News he wrote me....

"Have you and your company been Zillowed??
http://www.brokeragentnews.com/news/general/2006_9/9_24_2006_xy_1159109482.html
 
How are the agents taking this?  I would think they may be concerned about Zillow over- or under-valuing the property, then having to fight against Zillow's estimate."

It was also in Rismedia.

The good, the bad and the ugly of the  "Technology and Online Real Estate" category of Inman's  "The Top 100 Most Influential People in Real Estate"

The other day I promised:

"I will share some of the people in the list in the future on Columbus Best Blog, especially those that have a bearing on Columbus Ohio real estate."   

Inman said of "Technology and Online Real Estate" List:

Technology and the Internet continue to play increasingly important roles in the business of real estate. The people in this category have made contributions and continue to lead in this segment, either with an online business platform or a technology system that’s changed the way industry professionals conduct business.

One of the people on the list I feel like I know... although I have never met him... Saul Klein the President of Internet Crusade.  Internet Crusade is the company that administers the e-PRO Certification for the National Association of REALTORS®.  Internet Crusade also offers RealTownBlogs.   Columbus Best Blog is a RealTown Blog.  Very, very good.

Other "Top 100 Most Influential People in Real Estate" on Inman's list:

Joel MacIntosh - WolfNet Technology

Allan Dalton - Realtor.com  

Mark Lesswing - NAR Center for Realtor Technology

Ian Morris - HouseValues.com

Mike Long - Move.com formerly HomeStore

Craig Newmark - CraigList.org

Good? Realtor.com want to know about real estate elsewhere? Use Realtor.com OR go to the biggest and best real estate company in towns site and search there.  If looking in Central Ohio that would be by searching on HER Real Livings site.  Google for the gournet, don't cheat yourself with McDonalds!  

Good? NAR Center for Realtor Technology indirectly it is info for REALTORS® (members of a trade organization.)

Move.com formerly HomeStore, did they have to change their name? I have always been confused by what HomeStore does. 

? CraigList.org is big in other parts of the country but I never thought it was used much in Central Ohio. 

Good! WolfNet Technology will affect Central Ohio. As of the beginning of 2007 all brokerages in the Columbus Board of Realtors who do not maintain their own IDX are required to use WolfNet Technology for security reasons.  What's IDX?  Internet Data eXchange.  That's the technology to present advertising on properties listed in our MLS (multiple listing service) to the public. Look at a brokers website at houses... you are looking at IDX.  HER Real Living does their own IDX.  There was one other broker doing their own IDX... all others are switching over to WolfNet Technology IDX.   

I left one off... if you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all....

The people on Inman's technology list that most recognizable are  Richard Barton and Lloyd Fink of Zillow.... their company uses algorithms and public records to guesstimate the value of real estate.   Richard Barton and Lloyd Fink developed (invented?)  Zillow!  When we first started hearing about Zillow in 2005, it was supposed to replace real estate agents. 

"The Segway of real estate portals is about to roll over the pedestrian real estate agent. Say good-bye to appraisers and possibly real estate agents, blared CNN Money. " taunted Realty Times

What people are saying  about Zillow now? ....  "You've been Zillowed!"

Previously on Columbus Best Blog:

Clintonville is unzillowable

Worthington is unzillowable

You are not a Jedi yet!  

Zillow introduced

c.  2006 Columbus Best Blog and Maureen McCabe