Metro Detroit

DEBATING THE ACCURACY OF ZILLOW AND TRULIA

July 01, 2013

Have you ever wondered why homes on Zillow and Trulia aren’t even for sale…they’re just listed? Did you ever find what you thought was your dream home only to realize it’s already pending or sold?  Yes, we’ve heard all about it. A number of buyers get completely frustrated searching these websites for homes and for good reason.

Why aren’t these homes available? Easy. Zillow and Trulia make money by charging real estate agents for online advertising space. The more website traffic (buyers) visit their sites, the more they can charge agents. There are no serious repercussions for listing a home not currently for sale, nor are there any repercussions for not removing an already sold, pending, or expired listing.

On the contrary, when working with a Realtor, the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) board actually fines the listing agent for inaccurate information, not changing the status of a listing in a timely fashion, and for general non-compliance when it comes to listing properties for sale. This creates a more accurate source of information for buyers and reduces frustration for agents trying to show properties for sale.

What does this mean for buyers? Simply put, working with a qualified Realtor saves time, hassle, and frustration. I can’t tell you how many buyers we work with that find homes online they love only to find out they’re pending, sold, or not even for sale. When searching for a new home, this is just an added headache you don’t need to deal with.

Rest assured we’re not saying these websites are bad (we’re all for innovative ideas) they just don’t provide the most up-to-date information and can easily result in frustration for buyers. There are many positives to Zillow and Trulia, most notably creating a more user-friendly home search and offering a slew of relevant local real estate information for buyers…

Finding a new home is difficult enough. Don’t only rely on today’s most trendy real estate searches. Make it easy on yourself and call the New Home Experts to make the process as stress-free as possible. After all, it’s all we do!