Comments on: Zillow to Charge for Leads

By: Trace

Trace — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 08:41:49 +0000

Plus one for the calling out the obvious side of the coin.

This is from a piece I wrote on 4/08:

“Anytime I hear “FREE LEADS”, I have to call BS. Unless the conversion rates and contact rates are so phenomenally low that quality lenders refuse to participate or Zillow experiences record breaking advertising revenues as a byproduct of the traffic mortgage marketplace brings to Zillow, these leads will not remain “free”. No smart company leaves money on the table and I think that if mortgage market place gains traction, the revenue opportunity will trump the revenue / page views generated by the free service. It is inevitable.

By: Alex

Alex — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 18:55:28 +0000

@ JB

Please elaborate on licensing requirements…thanks

By: Zillow Charging for Mortgage Leads « Modelry

Zillow Charging for Mortgage Leads « Modelry — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 04:31:19 +0000

[...] http://blog.leadcritic.com/company-news/zillow-company-news/zillow-to-charge-for-leads [...]

By: Lead Critic

Lead Critic — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 04:52:23 +0000

Leave it to JB to bring up a very good point everyone has been overlooking.

They certainly do not have any licensing information on their website.

By: JB

JB — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 03:39:48 +0000

Maybe this will help slow down the Zillow burn rate though

By: JB

JB — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 03:38:12 +0000

LOL — Zillow reinvented mortgage lead gen in 2008 and then took it back to 2002.

Are they licensed in each state allowing them to sell leads to lenders? I hope the State of New York doesn’t hear about this, or Zillow will have to put an office there (among other states…)

By: Z

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 06:09:25 +0000

No tea. I live in Starbucks land, after all I can be nonchalant only because we have people like you being “critics”. We’re both needed and both make the world go ’round

We’ll be OK, folks…we’ll be OK

By: Nick Hedges

Nick Hedges — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 02:06:09 +0000

LeadCritic thanks for your comment on http://www.theleadblog.com on this comment. I think we are probably agreed that as long as Zillow don’t expect to charge in the exact same way for leads; supply and demand will dictate that there is a fair price for their leads that is more than free. I think both of our guess is that to start off the price will be lower than the price paid for leads with a limited number of recipients but it will be fascinating to see what the market decides. As always pricing offers arbitrage opportunity that separates the strong and weak buyers…

By: Lead Critic

Lead Critic — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 01:54:31 +0000

You state the all too obvious. So I agree with you!

Although I am sure those small time agents that believe in “Free” and disagree with buying leads do think the world is going to end, if it hasn’t already ended for them.

By the way, what type of tea are you drinking these days? Your so nonchalant and optimistic. Must be nice. I am always so “critical”

By: Z

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 23:52:43 +0000

Actually, I wanted to emphasize that I wasn’t really repsponding to you(LeadCritic) specifically. I think your points were mostly right on. I just see this sort of resistance so often as though the end of the world was coming and then, sure enough, “this too shall pass” and we adapt and adjust and move on(with or without Zillow).