Spencer's Blog

Discussing Zillow with TheStreet.com (Video)

Spencer Rascoff (Zillow) — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 19:18:14 -0500

Here is my interview from early January 2012 with TheStreet where I discuss Zillow’s mobile initiatives, the overall real estate market and government initiatives to help the housing market.

Like what you're reading? Then subscribe to my blog to receive updates.

On CNBC discussing housing and Zillow

Spencer Rascoff (Zillow) — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 15:49:11 -0500

This is my interview on CNBC last week. It was fun to do the interview from the floor of the Nasdaq.

One note – if you pay careful attention, you’ll see that the stat on the screen says “36 homes viewed per second” on mobile, but I say 50 homes per second in the piece. The 50 homes stat is what we're trending at for January; the 36 per second stat is from December.

Like what you're reading? Then subscribe to my blog to receive updates.

The Importance of Strategic Distribution

Spencer Rascoff (Zillow) — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 14:45:29 -0500

It’s a new year, so what better time to take on a controversial topic: listings syndication. There is a lot of discussion about this in our industry, and I thought it was time to give Zillow's thoughts on this important topic. My comments below will also be the basis of my speech at this week's Inman Connect in New York.

First, let me emphasize that Zillow has a lot of usage. In December 2011, more than 23 million unique visitors used our websites and mobile applications. The primary reason they use Zillow is because of Zestimates, and the other unique content we have on our website. It is because of this traffic that nearly every major real estate brokerage in the nation puts their listings onto Zillow, for free.

Because the number of real estate websites has dramatically proliferated, real estate brokers and MLSs are now giving a more careful review of what sites they send listings to. I applaud this, as I think it is important to carefully evaluate which sites make the most sense. This trend towards "strategic distribution" is different from the more shotgun-like approach that characterized listings syndication for the last few years.

Strategic distribution is all about making the right decision on where to put listings based on criteria that makes sense for your business. Brokers own their listings, and can put them on whichever sites they choose. But in my opinion, brokers should carefully consider several important criteria when making these decisions:

1. Which sites are most likely to provide my listings with exposure to the most buyers. After all, that's what the listing agents and their brokers have been hired to do by their home sellers: get the house sold quickly, at the best possible price.

2. Which sites have business rules which are most acceptable to my brokerage.

Listings on Zillow receive exposure across Zillow.com, Zillow Mobile - the most popular suite of real estate apps across all major mobile platforms - and the Yahoo!-Zillow Real Real Estate Network the largest real estate network on the Web (according to comScore Media Metrix, 1), so clearly we have many millions of buyers visiting our website and using our mobile apps. Sellers benefit from their listing receiving as much exposure as possible.

Some in our industry have commented that although Zillow has more than 23 million unique monthly visitors to our websites and mobile apps, perhaps Zillow and other national media sites "don't have very much traffic in my area". That's incorrect. Zillow reviewed November 2011 data from comScore Media Metrix, the leading third-party source of website traffic information. Note that this data does not include traffic on mobile applications, where Zillow and other national brands have overwhelmingly more usage than others. Just looking at website statistics though, the Yahoo!-Zillow Real Estate Network is the #1 or #2 real estate entity in all 20 of the top 20 local markets in the United States (2). The data simply does not support the argument that "those sites aren't big in my area." [If you'd like to learn more about Zillow's traffic in your area, please email me; we will happily share Zillow's internal traffic statistics for your region.]

To emphasize the mobile point further, let me stress that not putting listings on Zillow, REALTOR.com and Trulia is tantamount to abandoning any hope of finding a buyer who is using a mobile device. In December 2011, Zillow had more than 36 homes viewed every second of every day on a mobile device. Zillow has leading real estate apps on iPhone, iPad, Android phones, Android tablets, Blackberry, Windows Phone 7, and Kindle Fire. Mobile usage accounts for about a quarter of all of Zillow's usage -- it's too important a channel for a seller or their listing agent/broker to ignore.

Brokers and MLSs should not only consider a website's traffic when making syndication decisions. But they should also consider how each website gets its traffic. At Zillow, most of our traffic comes directly to Zillow.com or Zillow's mobile apps, rather than coming to us through SEO. Our tens of millions of users are attracted to Zillow's unique content, including over 100 million Zestimates and 100,000 consumer reviews of real estate agents. We bring this traffic to the table in these syndication discussions; it's not like we showed up at the potluck with just a fork.

Putting listings onto top real estate sites is what sellers want, because it helps sell their homes. But don't take my word for it -- let's look at the data. Zillow data shows that homes which receive the top 10% of page views sell more than a month faster than their counterparts in the bottom 10% of views. Similarly, these highly viewed listings achieve sale prices closer to their asking price than those with less exposure. The difference is especially pronounced among homes priced less than $250,000. It's obvious, but if you give your listing exposure to lots of buyers, it will sell faster and at a higher price. The data proves it.

The Objections

I've already addressed one objection to sending listings to leading media sites: the local traffic stats.

The second objection I sometimes hear is that "the media site is selling my leads". Most major media sites (including Zillow) have free models which pass buyer contacts to the listing agent -- all they have to do to be presented as the first choice for buyers on their own listings is set up a free account and free profile on the site (which ensures that the buyer contact will get through to them).

In addition, some listings syndication services such as ListHub, owned by Move, Inc. (operator of REALTOR.com), have recently introduced dashboards to help brokers and MLSs understand different media sites' business rules, and decide which sites to send listings to. This allows the MLS to facilitate the efficient distribution of listings under the direction of the broker who owns the listings.

Diverse Solutions

No discussion of listings syndication would be complete without mentioning Zillow's acquisition of Diverse Solutions, the leading tech provider of IDX for websites. Many of you have told us what a great company, staff and products they have. But there are some conspiracy theorists who have speculated that Zillow will simply flip a switch and take all of the IDX listings through Diverse and put them up on Zillow.com.

It won’t happen and can’t ---due to contractual and legal reasons.

However, from the day the acquisition was announced, we started hearing from brokers that asked why they needed to continue to send Zillow a direct feed, when it was already coming to Diverse through their MLS. Therefore, if a broker wants us to use their listings from IDX, and their MLS agrees, then we will do this. We are in the midst of conversations with many brokerages and many MLSs about this, since it significantly reduces the complexity for the brokerage and it improves accuracy of listings on Zillow, which benefits brokers, agents and their MLS.

Speaking of listings accuracy ... Zillow invests massive resources in making our listings as accurate as possible, and it all starts with what’s provided to us by our partners. Complaining about accuracy while providing us with a less than stellar feed or no feed at all does none of us or our industry any favors. Those who decide to pull listings from sites like ours due to their own business reasons have the right to do so. But to take that step and then say a key reason was listing accuracy feels disingenuous when they have removed the very direct feed that is the most accurate, often leaving their agents to rely on less reliable options.

Conclusion

Strategic Distribution is an important part of a broker's marketing strategy. It is very important for brokers to put their listings where buyers will find them -- this is critical for agent recruitment and retention, and to help sell clients' houses.

It is for these reasons that nearly every major brokerage in the country has chosen to put their listings onto Zillow. We are very proud of our partnerships with companies like RE/MAX International, Coldwell Banker, Century 21, Windermere, Halstead, Prudential Fox & Roach and hundreds more.

I look forward to further discussion of this important issue, and I hope to see you at Inman Connect later this week.

Data Sources:

(1) comScore Media Metrix Real Estate Category Ranking by Unique Visitors, November 2011, US Data.

(2) comScore Local Market Key Measures, November 2011, Real Estate Category by Unique Visitors

Like what you're reading? Then subscribe to my blog to receive updates.

Why Zillow partnered with Yahoo

Spencer Rascoff (Zillow) — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 13:14:52 -0500

Why Zillow partnered with Yahoo.

Like what you're reading? Then subscribe to my blog to receive updates.

On Bloomberg West, discussing performance and IPO

Spencer Rascoff (Zillow) — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 13:06:54 -0500

Like what you're reading? Then subscribe to my blog to receive updates.

On Bloomberg discussing the housing market and Zillow's Q3 earnings.

Spencer Rascoff (Zillow) — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 14:37:30 -0400

I was a guest on Bloomberg Television’s “Bottom Line” discussing the housing market and Zillow’s Q3 earnings report.

Click here to view the interview.

Like what you're reading? Then subscribe to my blog to receive updates.

Video: Robert Scoble interviews me

Spencer Rascoff (Zillow) — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 10:03:19 -0400

Like what you're reading? Then subscribe to my blog to receive updates.

Why Blog?

Spencer Rascoff (Zillow) — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 19:27:06 -0400

That’s a question I’ve asked myself many times. Different people blog for different reasons. Some do it to build their brand as a leading and influential voice in their industry (e.g., Fred Wilson from AVC). Some do it to create great content for SEO, which in turn drives clients. I do it mostly for therapy, and because I have stuff to say and my ego believes that people might want to hear it. I’ve never met a microphone I didn’t like, and a blog is like having your own microphone that's always on.

But I was pondering this question the other day from an agent’s perspective, and asking myself: “Would I recommend to a real estate agent that they blog?” And sadly, the answer was “probably not”. The fact is that blogging – especially blogging well – is incredibly time-consuming. It takes ages to build up a sizable audience. And it can be a lonely and discouraging pursuit, until you have a large community.

It is true that the top 1% of agent bloggers (e.g., Kris Berg, Jay Thompson) get a lot of business from their blog. And I’ve spoken with many agents who can directly attribute tens of thousands of commissions to their blogging efforts. But for every successful agent-blogger, there are thousands more who are wasting their time, basically talking to themselves when they blog. That time could be better spent prospecting for clients and working their sphere of influence in other ways, and blogging just isn’t a good ROI for them. Of course, if they're like me, then perhaps that’s ok – I would probably blog even if no one ever read it. In the old days, we used to call that a “journal”, and there’s a reason those have been around as long as cavemen have been writing on walls.

Is blogging working for you?

Like what you're reading? Then subscribe to my blog to receive updates.

Zillow Launches Premier Agent Special Offers

Spencer Rascoff (Zillow) — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 09:26:30 -0400

I'm really proud of the Zillow team for shipping these new features, and I'm confident that they will help our Premier Agent advertisers gain even more value from their spend with Zillow.

Via Brad Andersohn (Zillow - Outreach Manager):

Today, Zillow is announcing new features to the Zillow Premier Agent Program to further increase exposure for agents’ listings. One new feature, Zillow Special Offers, allows agents to add an offer for homebuyers who find the listing on Zillow. Only Premier Agents can add a “Zillow Special Offer” to their listings. An example might include $1000 credit off closing costs. Special Offers are paid for by the seller.

Special Offers are incentives offered by the seller at closing for buyers who found a home on Zillow with a “Special Offers” tag. This new feature provides a way for the listing to be more visible to potential buyers. The seller may feel an added incentive will help their listing – whether it be new on the market, in need of new appliances or lacking a washer/dryer – be more attractive to buyers. Any Special Offers created will appear within minutes of being posted.

Another new feature is the ability for agents to add a custom logo or picture to their listings. A Zillow Special Offer appears at the top of search results, giving a listing heightened exposure among home shoppers. These Special Offers give Premier Agents an exciting way to merchandise, market and differentiate a listings through a seller-funded concession.

Premier Agents using Special Offers will help sell homes faster, by offering incentives for buyers and a way for their listings to stand out from the crowd. We are always looking for new ways we can help our Premier Agents grow their business and their brand.

What is a Premier Agent? The Zillow Premier Agent Program highlights agents and their listings across Zillow, Yahoo! Real Estate, and on our popular mobile apps. There are a variety of packages, features, and even more options available that help agents get more local buyers and sellers. Check Out: http://www.zillow.com/advertising/Agent.htm

Premier Agents on Zillow have shared some of their experiences HERE

The Special Offers feature is designed for agents and their sellers who are interested in providing an incentive at closing. This has gone on in the real estate industry for decades, and Zillow Special Offers simply provide a way for this to be more visible to potential buyers. Special Offers are a marketing vehicle that helps to shine a spotlight on those properties that the agent, working with the seller, has decided to market in an additional way.

Visit our Real Estate Marketing page or call 866-324-4005 if you'd like more information..

FREE Tutorials | FREE Training |GO Mobile | GET Widgets

"May this blog be just one more planted seed of wisdom that helps you or your business blossom today!"

Like what you're reading? Then subscribe to my blog to receive updates.

Dr Stan Humphries (Zillow Chief Economist) Testifies for Senate Banking Committee

Spencer Rascoff (Zillow) — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 21:10:14 -0400

Zillow's Chief Economist, Dr Stan Humphries, testified before the Senate Banking Comittee today about the housing crisis. This is a testament to the extraordinary work that our economics bureau has done over the last five years.

There is more information about Stan's testimony here and here. You can view his testimony here, around 42 minutes in.

Like what you're reading? Then subscribe to my blog to receive updates.

On CNBC discussing $Z and Housing

Spencer Rascoff (Zillow) — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 17:58:56 -0400

Like what you're reading? Then subscribe to my blog to receive updates.

On Bloomberg TV, Discussing Zillow Quarterly Results

Spencer Rascoff (Zillow) — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 13:38:44 -0400

Like what you're reading? Then subscribe to my blog to receive updates.

These Are The Small Things That Make My Day

Spencer Rascoff (Zillow) — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 19:56:18 -0400

I loved seeing this tweet today.

Like what you're reading? Then subscribe to my blog to receive updates.

Inman News Innovator of the Year Award

Spencer Rascoff (Zillow) — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 12:50:15 -0400

Thank you to Inman News for this extraordinary honor. I am truly humbled by the award. Thanks also to Zillow's fantastic employees, and our many tens of thousands of business partners, for having made our success possible.

Via Brad Andersohn (Zillow - Outreach Manager):

Inman News Innovator of the Year Award

Having just returned from the Inman News Real Estate Connect Conference in San Francisco, CA. my first instinct was to create a long post sharing all the great information and awesome take-aways I came away with this year, but then after some thought, I decided to share this with you instead, at least for now. All the great tech stuff coming later...

On July 28th, 2011 at the Hilton Union Square Grand Ballroom, Brad Inman Founder of Inman News, Tim Smith CEO of Inman, and Chris Smith, the newly appointed Chief Evangelist for Inman announced the 2011 Innovator of the Year Award Winner. Up until the morning of the announcement, I had no idea who the winner was going to be, but I had heard some names mentioned and was encouraged to not miss this presentation.

It was a very exciting moment to say the least, and to capture it on video was an honor. It's the only video footage I have from the entire 3 day event. My hat's off to the winners, and my heart and congratulations goes out to ALL the nominees from every category. There truly are no losers, everyone nominated is a winner in my opinion.

The Inman team must have a very difficult time trying to select winners beyond the "People's Choice" awards. Shout-outs and Kudos to their entire team and staff for a fine job well done! Thanks, and congrats to Inman on celebrating 15 years of Real Estate Connect Success.

Now, please take a moment to join me in congratulating the 2011 Inman News "Innovator of the Year" for winning a very prestigious and coveted award....drum roll please...the winner is....

Brad's Tutorials | FREE Training | GO Mobile | GET Widgets

"May this blog be just one more planted seed of wisdom that helps you or your business blossom today!"

Like what you're reading? Then subscribe to my blog to receive updates.

Fun tweets about Zillow

Spencer Rascoff (Zillow) — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 13:19:56 -0400

There were a few tweets about Zillow this weekend.

A few of my favorites:

here and here and here and here and my favorite one is here

Like what you're reading? Then subscribe to my blog to receive updates.

What I like about social media

Spencer Rascoff (Zillow) — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 17:46:44 -0400

I keep a close eye on what people tweet about Zillow. It's an unbelievably valuable way for an executive to keep tabs on what people are saying about your company. And it's addicting.

Usually, we're fortunate that most tweets about Zillow are positive - either consumers or agents are raving about our website or mobile apps, or agents are using Zillow to promote their business.

So you can imagine that I take it personally when someone tweets something nasty about Zillow. A California agent, Louis Stone-Collonge did just that the other day, and I jumped on the grenade. Part of our exchange is shown here in the tweetdeck screenshot. The important point is that as a result of this exchange, hopefully Louis left with a different opinion of Zillow. At the very least, he got a more human impression of Zillow -- it's no longer a borg. There are real human beings who work here, who care deeply about the work that we do.

@davidgibbons taught me this lesson about four years ago when he was running social media for us here. He really opened my eyes to the potential of social media, and we still carry his torch here four years later.

Like what you're reading? Then subscribe to my blog to receive updates.

API - Making Your Site A Powerful Tool and RE-Source

Spencer Rascoff (Zillow) — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 19:04:52 -0400

Today, Windermere.com (the largest real estate brokerage in the Pacific Northwest) added Zestimates to their website. This provided me with a good opening to remind people of the free tools that Zillow makes available to other websites.

Via Brad Andersohn (Zillow - Outreach Manager):

API Making Your Site A Powerful Tool & Source of Information

What is an API? It's the acronym for "Application Programming Interface" and it has great value once you understand what it is and how it works. Many have seen the term (API) around for quite some time, but figured it's just some techno-jargon that means nothing or adds no value to those of us on the RE Net. WRONG! One thing I have learned over the years is that even if you don't understand some things, you should still know of them or at least about them, right? I see some of you shaking your head "yes" right now.

To keep this post about API simple and easy to understand, I'll just put it this way; adding an Application Programming Interface (API) to your site can add powerful and useful information to your traffic and visitors and it requires less work than you may think. By incorporating an API into your site, you can deliver data and gather information all at the same time. An API can benefit you and your readers by providing them with valuable inter-active data and information. You'll get customers, not filled in forms, brand recognition and best of all, it's FREE!

Real Estate and Mortgage Data for Your Site

Why Integrate with Zillow's Data using API, would likely be the first question you're be asking yourself right now? One thought is that if sites like Yahoo.com and Education.com Integrate our API, why wouldn't you consider it as well? Not everyone will be able to do this, but as for the Implementation and Requirements, everyone could do this if they wanted to. I had no idea how powerful an API could be until I researched it a bit, and that's why I'm sharing this with you.

Take a few moments to understand what API is, how it works, why it could add value and growth to your site and business, then let me know if you'd like to take Zillow's API to the next level on your site. If you're comfortable working with an API and incorporating into your site, that's awesome. If not, I've seen what companies like Z57 and Diverse Solutions can do for Real Estate Business sites and would be happy to put you in contact with the individuals who can assist you if needed.

Some Great Samples of Sites with API

These took me a while to research and find so I hope you'll take a moment to really look at these well known sites that use/deliver API to bring value to their clients and visitors. Those clients and visitors being YOU and I. Last.fm , EBay, Facebook, Feedburner, (now @Google) Windows LIVE, DIGG, Delicious, Google Maps, Flickr, Twitter, Yahoo, and Zillow! Here are some other samples of what an API looks like on a "LIVE" site and from the users perspective: Yahoo Real Estate, Manage My Life, Public School Review, and IDX Central.

To get started using a Zillow API, you'll need to 1. create an account on Zillow, (only if you don't have one already) 2. Get a (ZWSID) web services ID, then 3. Take a look at our Developers Guide to get instructions on which data API will best suit you and your sites needs.

As with most API's and sites, there is a "Terms of Use" which is always funner than reading the obituaries, but I'd rather have to discuss terms of use with you than have to discuss some of the "use of terms" I've heard in this Industry. lol~ Go ahead, show me some samples of what you've created, and how your using Zillow's API, I'd love to be able to share that with others both here and on my site. Enjoy!!

Related API Information and Tools:
Effective API Design By Joshua Bloch
(Principle Engineer at Google)
Full List of Google API's
The API Finder

Training | Mobile | Content | Widgets | Agents

"Build your castles and mansions on people and relationships, they are the strongest foundations on earth."
May this blog be just one more planted seed of wisdom that helps you or your business blossom today!

Like what you're reading? Then subscribe to my blog to receive updates.

The Potential Cost Of Waiting For 'The Bottom"

Spencer Rascoff (Zillow) — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 16:04:21 -0400

I've blogged about this topic before, but here's a great post by Sara Bonert on the topic of the importance of mortgage rates. The table below shows the data behind this very important point -- the fact that sometimes mortgage rate changes are even more important than home value changes.

Via Sara Bonert {Real Estate Internet Marketing} (Zillow):

I love this chart that the Zillow research team put together which illustrates how it could actually cost money to wait for another small decrease in home prices, based on the projected interest rate increases.

You can read the full article here, entitled, To Wait or Not to Wait: Financing versus Purchase Costs.

The article uses the example of buying a $200,000 home now, verses waiting a year. In the first week of February 2011, the Zillow Mortgage Marketplace was showing a 30-year fixed rate mortgage at 4.7%. For someone with good credit, who is able to put 20% down, and locks a 4.7% rate on a 30-year fixed rate mortgage, the monthly payment would be $830.

Say this same person waits, believing values may fall another 6% in a year (so paying $188,000 for this same home). It is projected that the 30-year fixed mortgage will be at 5.2% by Freddie Mac's forecasted average for 2011. Now the actual monthly payment goes to $826 with a 20% down payment. That $12,000 savings achieved by waiting to buy later at a lower price translates to just $4 a month less in a mortgage payment, as much of the savings is offset by higher mortgage rates. Also, this doesn't take into account tax saving that would have been realized over the year with the mortgage interest deduction.

Here is the full chart to play with what it may cost to wait, depending on what you believe the market is going to do in the next year:

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thanks for reading! Subscribe here to be alerted of blog updates.

Want to learn how to use Zillow better? Check out:

I'm on Twitter too! Follow me at @sbonert.

Like what you're reading? Then subscribe to my blog to receive updates.

Zillow Mobile App Now On BlackBerry!

Spencer Rascoff (Zillow) — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 18:21:14 -0400

Woohoo, Zillow now has a BlackBerry app! You asked, and we delivered. The new BlackBerry app joins our #1 iphone, #1 ipad, and #1 Android apps in the Zillow mobile suite of apps.

Via Sara Bonert {Real Estate Internet Marketing} (Zillow):

When I talk to agents about Zillow's mobile apps- it is inevitable that the question comes up... "What about an app for the Blackberry?". I know a lot of agents use a Blackbery, I myself only recently switchedover to Droid.

Now with the launch of the Zillow Blackberry App, we have 90% smartphone user coverage to assist people with home shopping anytime, and anywhere when utilizing the GPS capablities on the app.

Zillow Mobile apps are used 6.5 million times each month, with more than 23 million visits to home detail pages. That's nearly 9 home views every single second! Want to know how fast mobile is exploding? In January of this year, we were tracking at 6 homes viewed every second. This growth amazes me! And it isn't slowing down anytime soon.

The location-based Zillow BlackBerry App uses GPS technology to find and follow users on an aerial map, homes for sale, homes for rent, Make Me Move listingsand recently sold data on the homes around them. Additional features on the Zillow BlackBerry App include:

Multiple search filters that include price, number of bedrooms and bathrooms and other valuable home-related information.

Homes viewable on a map with high-resolution satellite and street view.

Home search by location or by typing in a city, ZIP code or address.

Full-screen color photos of homes.

Zillow for Android

Zillow for iPhone

Zillow for iPad

Zillow for Blackberry

Zillow for Windows Mobile

Take a quick tour of the app:

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thanks for reading! Subscribe here to be alerted of blog updates.

Want to learn how to use Zillow better? Check out:

I'm on Twitter too! Follow me at @sbonert.

Like what you're reading? Then subscribe to my blog to receive updates.

Curating Your Online Identity

Spencer Rascoff (Zillow) — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 17:02:57 -0500

I enjoyed Jon Washburn's recent blog post about his online identity, detailing how he recently "clean up" his online presence by choosing to be consistent about using "Jon Washburn" instead of Jonathan Washburn, and sprucing up his mug shot which serves as his first impression to people viewing him on the web. I think curating your online identity is very important, and I should probably take more time to do this myself. This is especially important for people who work in the technology industry (like me), but it's important for everyone.

The critical inflection point in this is when you graduate high school (or at a minimum, post-college). That's when the prescient kids separate themselves from the less prescient ones by cleaning up their online identity -- establishing a linkedin profile, deleting their drunken pictures from Facebook, cleaning up their lists and privacy settings on Facebook, starting a blog, registering with about.me, and starting a twitter account. A good role model for all of is is Ajay Mehta (@ajaymehta), a freshman at NYU who focussed on social media marketing when he interned for two summers at Zillow while in high school. Check out Ajay's various online personas at linkedin, Facebook, about.me, and twitter - all unified via his personal blog. We could all learn a lot about how to position ourselves online and how to create a personal brand for ourselves by following Ajay's example.

Like what you're reading? Then subscribe to my blog to receive updates.

Introducing - spencerrascoff.com

Spencer Rascoff (Zillow) — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 16:55:02 -0500

After blogging here on Active Rain for the last few years, I finally got around to creating a separate blog at my own domain - www.spencerrascoff.com

Going forward, I will still blog about real estate things here on Active Rain. But I'll use my spencerrascoff blog to reflect on more non real estate topics which I'm interested in, including venture capital, startups, entrepreneurship, and management. I'll also put the real estate posts up on spencerrascoff.com, so that blog will end up being a superset of this blog.

Bottom line:

If you just want to hear my thoughts on real estate: read this blog.

If you want to hear my thoughts on real estate AND other topics, please use my www.spencerrascoff.com blog. And as a reminder, you can subscribe to either of these blogs via email as well.

Like what you're reading? Then subscribe to my blog to receive updates.

How far we've come -- "What is the Internet?" on the Today Show, 1994

Spencer Rascoff (Zillow) — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 09:39:47 -0500

Hat tip to Drew Meyers.

Like what you're reading? Then subscribe to my blog to receive updates.

What’s next?

Spencer Rascoff (Zillow) — Tue, 18 Jan 2011 18:35:51 -0500

Here's an interesting presentation on what is supposedly going to be hot in 2011.

JWT: 100 Things to Watch in 2011

View more presentations from JWTIntelligence.

Like what you're reading? Then subscribe to my blog to receive updates.

Zillow & CNBC discuss the best housing markets for 2011

Spencer Rascoff (Zillow) — Tue, 21 Dec 2010 11:51:27 -0500

Sadly, my hometown of Seattle made the list of worst markets.

Like what you're reading? Then subscribe to my blog to receive updates.

Spencer Rascoff speaking at the NWEN Breakfast Buzz on December 10th

Spencer Rascoff (Zillow) — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 16:01:10 -0500

Come see me share lessons of entrepreneurialism at the next Northwest Entrepreneur Network's (NWEN) Breakfast Buzz in Bellevue, WA on Friday, December 10th.

Like what you're reading? Then subscribe to my blog to receive updates.