Zillow gets serious about mobile
Zillow today is announcing it has acquired the technology and talent behind Buyfolio, an online and mobile collaborative shopping platform where home shoppers can search, track, organize and discuss for-sale listings with their real estate agent, significant other or a private group. Buyfolio was launched in 2011, and their co-founders also founded travel site SeatGuru.com, which was acquired by Expedia in 2007. The service is currently focused in New York City, but with this news, will be rolled out nationally in the future. Zillow says the acquisition will be added to their Premier Agent offering for real estate professionals.
Zillow describes Buyfolio as a tool that makes online shopping for a home easier and more organized, giving homebuyers a simple, real-time snapshot of their home search, and allowing the buyer’s agent to add local knowledge, notes and additional listings. The mobile Buyfolio apps are available on Android and iOS.
Buyfolio is the fourth acquisition by Zillow, and while financial terms were not disclosed, because Zillow is a publicly traded company, in their next quarterly statement, we will likely know more details.
Expanding Zillow’s offering
“This acquisition allows Zillow to expand its suite of software tools for Premier Agents and brokerages, and will help them convert Internet leads into closed sales,” said Spencer Rascoff, Zillow CEO. “We’re very excited to welcome the Buyfolio team into Zillow.”
“Zillow shares our vision and excitement, and business will carry on as usual for Buyfolio. With Zillow’s resources and support, we’ll be able grow and innovate more quickly,” said Susan Daimler, Buyfolio co-founder. “Both Zillow and Buyfolio are committed to providing technology to agents in a changing real estate landscape, and we are excited to help them succeed in the years to come.”
Buyfolio is the fourth acquisition by Zillow. In 2011, Zillow acquired listing creation and distribution platform, Postlets, and in the same year, the company acquired real estate technology and IDX company, Diverse Solutions. Earlier this year, they acquired RentJuice, the foundation of Zillow Rentals.
Zillow notes that “Each of these companies provides valuable services that support Zillow’s strategic expansion beyond a traditional media model to offer a suite of marketing and business services to local professionals.”
