Meet Zubii, a new platform that helps you find the perfect real estate agent

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When you’re looking to find a real estate agent to either buy or sell a property, there are lots of places to find them. But for many, that process can be a little strenuous and stressful when tracking down a reliable professional. Which is exactly why the folks at Zubii think they have a perfect solution…. Read More…

Zillow rolls out new TV ad, plans to spend $20M to $30M in big marketing push

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Zillow may be one of the leading online real estate companies in the U.S. But even so, most Americans still don’t know anything about it. The Seattle company is hoping to change that perception this year, embarking on a huge $20 million to $30 million advertising campaign that’s designed to position Zillow as the No…. Read More…

GeekWire Radio: Nick Hanauer and Rich Barton on investing, technology, open skies and big bets

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Nick Hanauer and Rich Barton are investors and entrepreneurs who have created and shaped some of the most significant companies in the Seattle region, and the world. They’re also friends, and we’re happy to have them both together in the studio this week for the GeekWire radio show and podcast. Barton is the co-founder of… Read More…

Zillow co-founder Rich Barton: ‘Kill the squirrel’

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If you’re a squirrel, make sure you stay well clear of Rich Barton. The founder of Expedia and Zillow on Wednesday offered some key advice from his dad, applying a driving lesson from the road that he’s used in business to this day. “My dad used to say: ‘kill the squirrel,’” noted Barton. In other… Read More…

Commencement speech showdown: Advice to recent grads from Redfin’s Kelman and Zillow’s Rascoff

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It’s that time of year when commencement speeches ring out across the nation, with everyone from President Barack Obama to philanthropist Melinda Gates to comedian Jimmy Kimmel offering words of wisdom to recent grads. Now, LinkedIn is taking a very special approach to the commencement speech tradition, asking several of its so-called “influencers” to write “Commencement… Read More…

Big offering for big data: Tableau prices stock at $31 per share

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Tableau Software had been boosting its proposed price for Friday’s initial public offering for the past few weeks and now we’ve got a concrete number. The company will price its shares at $31 for Friday’s IPO and offer five million shares, while stockholders are offering 3.2 million shares. It marks the biggest tech IPO of the year, with… Read More…

Advice for Seattle’s startup ecosystem: Don’t do what Detroit did

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Here’s some advice to keep the Seattle startup ecosystem strong: Don’t do what Detroit did. At Zillow’s downtown headquarters today, Mayor Mike McGinn and several members of the tech community gathered to officially launch the Startup Seattle initiative, which is designed to support the growth of the Seattle tech startup community and make the city… Read More…

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

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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

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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…

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

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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

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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

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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

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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…

Zillow CEO Spencer Rascoff’s secrets to startup success: Be a servant to your managers

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Zillow CEO Spencer Rascoff is known as one of the hardest working dudes in Seattle tech. And that work ethic was on full display Tuesday night as Rascoff spoke to students and faculty as part of the Albers Executive Speaker Series at Seattle University. Rascoff shared a number of his startup secrets, expressing the management… Read More…

Zillow, Lucid take home Webby Awards for internet innovation

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Things continue to move fast for Seattle-based Zillow, and now the online real estate company can add two Webby Awards to its resume. Competing in the real estate portion of the 17th annual Webby Awards, an Oscars-style bash for Internet innovation, creativity and other wacky stuff, Zillow won both the People’s Voice Award and Webby Winner… Read More…

Fast-growing Zillow is expanding again at its Seattle HQ, taking over 2 more floors

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Zillow continues to grow at a rapid clip, gobbling up more office space at its downtown Seattle headquarters in the Russell Investments Center. The company announced today that it plans to take over floors 33 and 34 at the Seattle skyscraper, adding about 45,000 square feet of space. It currently is located on floors 29… Read More…

Zillow remodels iOS app, says 89 homes viewed per second on mobile devices

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No wonder that Zillow is investing resources in mobile. The Seattle online real estate company says that 55 percent of visits now come from mobile devices, and that 89 homes were viewed per second on Zillow from a mobile device in March. (That compares to 75 homes per second in February). To make sure that home shoppers keep… Read More…