Images: Amazon.com wants to build a massive biosphere in Seattle (perfect for workers and mature trees)

amazon-hq-spherical

Amazon.com is charting a new course for one of its proposed downtown Seattle office buildings, unveiling new drawings this week which show a massive spherical greenhouse-like structure capable of housing multiple forms of plant life as well as mature trees. And, yes, of course, throngs of Amazon workers will be permitted too. The new proposal,… Read More…

E-signature powerhouse DocuSign buys Cartavi to help real estate pros share docs

docusign-sign3

After working together for more than a year, DocuSign has agreed to purchase its partner, Cartavi, in a deal of undisclosed size. Through the deal, electronic signature provider DocuSign said that it will help real estate professionals manage the end-to-end real estate transaction. Cartavi is kind of like Dropbox for online real estate documents, helping real… Read More…

Q&A with Trulia CEO Pete Flint: Market Leader is ‘the operating system’ of real estate

Truia CEO Pete Flint

Trulia CEO Pete Flint wants to transform real estate. And with today’s $355 million bid for Kirkland-based Market Leader, the Internet executive took his boldest step yet in making that dream a reality. In acquiring Market Leader in the cash and stock deal, Flint said they are getting one of the most comprehensive lead generation and customer… Read More…

Trulia to buy Market Leader for $355 million, planting stake in Zillow’s backyard

zillow-trulia-11

Trulia is making its biggest bet yet. And it is doing so in Zillow’s backyard. Today, Trulia announced a plan to purchase Kirkland-based Market Leader for $355 million — an 18 percent premium over Market Leader’s stock close on Tuesday. The deal also values Market Leader — originally founded in 1999 as HouseValues.com — at about… Read More…

Zillow posts record revenue and $3.7M loss, tops 52 million visitors in April

Spencer Rascoff

Zillow today posted record first quarter revenues of $39 million, but losses accumulated as the fast-growing Seattle company digested acquisitions and spent heavily on a nationwide advertising campaign. “We are pressing our advantage,” said Zillow CEO Spencer Rascoff in an interview with GeekWire. Rascoff called the nation’s housing recovery “gravy” to Zillow’s overall business, noting… Read More…

RealNetworks returns to roots, plans move to smaller offices near Safeco Field

homeplatecenter22

RealNetworks got its start in Pioneer Square in 1995, and now the Seattle company is heading back to the quirky neighborhood known for its old brick buildings. But Real isn’t going into one of the historical structures this time. The company announced today that it has secured 85,000 square-feet of space at the new Home… Read More…

Zillow CEO Spencer Rascoff: International expansion is not in the cards for now

rascoff111

Zillow is growing like gangbusters, employing nearly 700 employees and posting a 73 percent revenue growth rate during the fourth quarter. It’s also attracting a whopping 50 million unique visitors per month, the vast majority of whom are located in the U.S. So, one might wonder if the Seattle online real estate powerhouse could take… Read More…

VC money flows into online real estate after Zillow and Trulia IPOs

vcfunding1111

It’s a strange thing that Seattle seems to be the epicenter of online real estate, home to big companies like Redfin, Zillow and Market Leader as well as up-and-comers like Estately, Findwell, ValueAppeal and Walk Score. I’ve been covering this segment of the Internet economy for a number of years now, and I still can’t… Read More…

Redfin enhances home valuation tool, rivaling Zillow’s Zestimate

redfin-pricetool22

Redfin wants to tell you how much your home is worth — just like Zillow. The Seattle online real estate company today rolled out what it’s dubbing Redfin Home Value Tool, a service that relies on “up-to-the-minute” data to tell home buyers and sellers the values of homes. Sounds familiar, doesn’t it? Of course, Zillow… Read More…

‘Industry outsider’ Zillow zooms past $60 per share, now valued at $2 billion

zillow-ipo-photo4

Zillow has been on a hot streak in recent weeks, and now the Seattle online real estate company has surpassed yet another milestone. The company’s stock has surged above $60 per share, valuing Zillow at a whopping $2.1 billion. Some industry watchers thought the company was overvalued when it came public at $20 per share… Read More…