Yahoo’s stock is worthless according to anyone in the know, yet we have this three way menage a moi going on between Zillow and its partners Yahoo! real estate and Mint. I’m not sure who’s gaining here, or is this a three way of epic losers? Again, was Mint in trouble? Well it might be now. What may sound like a move up for Mint, reeks of desperation (or ignorance) to anyone in real estate.
Over the past week, we’ve seen a Zillow insider’s life flash before his eyes when his one end all be all to Zillow’s potential problems ending, and that would be if and when Realtor.com could syndicate all listing data. This would end the reality drought at Zillow. But yet another share holder barks at how the revised Realtor.com agreement with the National Association of Realtors must signal fear from Move, Inc (Realtor.com parent company who advertises on AG) about the John picking up the hooker we saw with Zillow and Yahoo! real estate.
Look, something’s got to give. Spencer Rascoff steps up as CEO and replaces the haphazard Barney Fife of a CEO that was Rich Barton. The company’s got a shot now in my opinion with the mortgage market place and fresh vision, but this data situation is a real problem for Zillow going forward- with the new Move, Inc. and NAR operating agreement in place, and its ListHub acquisition, suddenly everyone can overtake Zillow in accuracy (not a difficult feat, imo), including its step brother Trulia. Zillow’s Mortgage Market Place is easily matched by Google already, so what’s left but the bone Mint just tossed Zillow? Nothing, because I’m looking at this from a glass half empty perspective- Mint’s horny (as of the publishing of this article, no mention of the Zillow/Mint agreement had even graced the Mint press page, maybe it is shame?).
