This is a follow-up post to an excellent article by Lola Audu about agents’ listing data. I would strongly encourage you to read it and comment. She raises some excellent issues that all should keep in mind regarding where your listing data are sitting.
Lola’s post got me thinking more about my own listing data, and in particular my listings on Zillow.
Zillow gets tons of traffic, as we all know, and having a presence there makes sense, at some level, for being in front of consumers. Like other folks here, I have used their EZ Adz to gain exposure for listings as well as my services. At $.01 per impression you can’t beat the cost.
My real beef with Zillow has to do with the listings they are displaying under my profile. It seems that, like their Zestimates, accuracy is not necessarily something they are striving for. If they are, well, they are missing the boat.
Case in point:
- Zillow shows me as having 7 listings – I HAVE 4
- My multifamily listing is now listed 3 times, with different DOMs (a couple of days ago it was just listed twice)
- My newest listing on 6324 Greenhaven in Carlsbad has been on the MLS for 5 days – Zillow proudly displays a DOM of 55 days. Guess I got the listing earlier than I thought I did.
- A listing of mine at 1262 Farmington Place in San Marcos THAT SOLD back in March miraculously appears as an active listing with a DOM of 24 days.
So you tell me. How is this providing accurate information to consumers, and helping me and my sellers?
My other gripe? Well, try doing a search in one of the zip codes where these listings are located. DO THEY SHOW UP? Well, some do and some don’t. Good thing is the one listed 3 times only shows once. And the one THEY say is active but which sold 2 months ago shows up. Hmmm. Guess Zillow decides what to show, where and how, not me, the Listing agent.
Now many sites where we can advertise allow you to edit some of these things. Can’t seem to make that happen at Zillow, at least not for all the information that counts. I can change the number of bedrooms, and price (thank goodness), and that sort of thing but other data? Nope. I tried using the EDIT STATUS button to, again, change the status of my previously sold listing; but since the true sold date of 3/18/08 is before the Zillow “list date” of 5/2/08, well you can guess they won’t accept the change. And of course there doesn’t seem to be a way to get in touch with anyone to try to get these issues corrected. I must be doing something wrong.
I rather liked the possibility of having my listings in front of a whole bunch of on-line folks.
And I tried to set them up accurately for my clients. And took care with my profile so when folks viewed it they got to know me a bit. Seems Zillow has other ideas. Now viewers see inaccurate listing information. But maybe they can tell the 3 listings ARE all the same. But what if they fall in love with the listing that has already sold?!
So you have to wonder where else are there these inaccuracies where we assume what we input is accurate. And that other inaccurate information has made an appearance without our knowledge.
Has anyone else had such issues? Any success I getting them corrected?
UPDATE:
The former listing that previously sold has now been removed - note Drew's comments below.
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