Real Estate Zillow Gone Wild, bringing unreal real estate to your screen Christin Hakim, April 28, 2022 Sometimes real estate can seem a little unreal, which is just fine for Samir Mezrahi, who runs the popular social media account Zillow Gone Wild, posting “see it to believe it” homes, to the shock and delight of his two million-plus followers. From towering castles to underground bunkers, and seemingly… Continue Reading
Real Estate We all love Zillow browsing. But there’s a dark side to the real estate app. Christin Hakim, November 26, 2021 The clear and present danger of artificial intelligence is not robots enslaving humans, but the capacity of A.I. to dehumanize our lives, work and decision-making in thousands of subtle ways we do not always see. One of those ways has been in real estate markets, where home values are assessed… Continue Reading
Real Estate These Influencers Found the Zillow Houses We Love to Hate Christin Hakim, November 23, 2021 For those of us who have grown weary of scrolling through Zillow listings, ogling dream homes we could never afford, there is a corner of the internet dedicated to the ones we’d never want. There’s the $2.5 million listing for a house in British Columbia with amateur biblical frescos on… Continue Reading
Real Estate Why Zillow Couldn’t Make Algorithmic House Pricing Work Christin Hakim, November 16, 2021 Zillow’s Zestimate of home values has become a go-to reference for US homeowners. But when Zillow tried to use its algorithm to buy and sell homes, it badly misread the market. The company’s iBuyer (or “instant buyer”) arm, where tech-first firms use algorithms to quickly value, buy, and sell homes,… Continue Reading
Real Estate Zillow to shutter home buying business and lay off 2,000 employees as its big real estate bet falters Christin Hakim, November 10, 2021 (Zillow Photo) Zillow Group’s ambitious tech-fueled bid to shake up how people buy and sell homes is coming to a surprising end. The Seattle online real estate giant said today it will shut down Zillow Offers, its iBuying program that aims to digitize and accelerate how people sell their home…. Continue Reading
Real Estate Zillow Is Bringing Artificial Intelligence to Real Estate Christin Hakim, October 13, 2021 Zillow Group (NASDAQ:Z) (NASDAQ:ZG) operates the most popular real estate websites and mobile apps in the world, with its internet properties receiving 2.8 billion visits during the most recent quarter. And while many investors are likely familiar with the company, it’s easy to overlook the technology that powers its digital platform. In… Continue Reading
Real Estate Viral TikTok accuses Zillow and others of manipulating the housing market. Here’s what’s really going on Christin Hakim, September 26, 2021 Are companies like Zillow ZG, -3.40% and Redfin RDFN, +4.57% manipulating home prices by purchasing properties across the country? That’s what one real-estate agent claims in a video that went viral on the social-media platform TikTok — but real-estate experts say the reality is much more complicated. In a video… Continue Reading