Zillow + iPhone – A Real Estate Combination I Could Not Resist

By on July 31, 2009 in Technology

zillow findwell is featured today on TechFlash, a news site about the technology industry in Seattle. I have been a loyal Windows Mobile user ever since I was a product manager on the team that launched the original Windows Mobile devices in 2002. However, I was lured to an iPhone because of the Zillow real estate app.

As a real estate broker, I need access to as much information about homes as possible, preferably when I am out in the field touring or showing homes. While I can get a lot of information about active listings by logging in to our MLS database from my phone, that doesn’t provide me with details on all of the other homes in the neighborhood. With the Zillow App, they have made this easy. The phone uses GPS to locate where I am at any given moment. It then draws a map with all of the surrounding homes on it. Zillow is able to pull data from tax records showing the configuration and size of each home in the neighborhood, along with sale records of what each home has previously sold for. Homes listed for sale on Zillow will show photos and agent contact information as well. In addition, you also can get a quick estimate of current property values through their Zestimate.

If you are a real estate agent or just in the market to buy a new home, I encourage you to check out the Zillow App. I think it is a great addition to your “online toolbox” of information about real estate and is super useful when you are out viewing homes.

  • http://www.zillow.com Spencer Rascoff

    Kevin,

    Spencer from Zillow here.

    Thank you very much for the kind words. I agree, as you might expect. I dumped my Blackberry for an iPhone, partly because of the Zillow app.

    And the next version coming out soon is even better… :)

  • http://blog.findwell.com Kevin Lisota

    @Spencer – Looking forward to the next version of the Zillow app!

  • http://www.teambuilderjls.com Vija Williams

    I obviously agree:

    http://www.apple.com/…/teambuilder

    But not for the Zillow app. The MLS app and other tools are much more helpful to me than Zillow. I’m curious why you think it is so important? The MLS app seems way more important to me. Just wondering. Regardless, I love my iPhone but hate AT&T Wireless for the record. Terrible coverage throughout the Puget Sound.

  • http://blog.findwell.com Kevin Lisota

    @Vija – I agree that mobile access to our MLS is more important than Zillow. I use that all of the time, and it is supported by most smartphones.

    The issue that I found is that my customers carrying iPhones actually had better access to data on the surrounding homes than I did. The mobile MLS app did nothing to help me there, especially if the properties have not been recently listed. I can’t afford to have my customers be better equipped to analyze the market than I am as a real estate agent.

  • Vija Williams

    Kevin: The only thing I use Zillow for is to check the value of their property before an appointment or when doing an analysis so that I know what they are thinking ahead of time.

    On your post, are you referring to sold comps older than 6 months? Stuff like that? I haven’t had a real need to know that kind of information on a mobile basis so I’m curious as to what you use the Zillow app for when on the field-what you are referring to with "better access to data on the surrounding homes." I might learn something!

  • Michael P. Lindekugel

    it would be nice if zillow could provide an accurate Zestimate which they don’t by their own admission in the FAQs. the other features are cool.