Zillow's Aiming at Customer Acquisition

Zillow came out with a new feature that is aimed at getting consumers more engaged and making their Zestimates more accurate.

Sounds like a win-win for the company and consumer.

What is it? A homeowner can edit their home facts.

The homeowner gets to set the facts straight on their home (SF, # bedrooms, bath, etc.) which will "help improve the accuracy of your Zestimate over time."

Very smart.

Why wouldn't every homeowner in America want to make sure their home is shown in the best possible light? Especially when it's time to sell.

Great in theory but in order to do this. The homeowner needs to REGISTER (ah ha!) and completing this process isn't exactly easy.

They need to verify you as the homeowner. That means you must provide either a credit card number or fax/mail a copy of your deed/title, mortgage statement, tax assessment, or utility bill to the company. How big of a barrier is this? I, myself, am not going to do this until others are using the Zestimate as a viable and trusted source for home values. It's a bit of a chicken and egg problem.

It's darn interesting to see how Zillow is trying innovative ways to build a relationship with their customers. I do wonder how many folks are going to take the time to pluck down a credit card or even fax a personal financial document to the company. Time will tell.

Here's a link on How To: Edit Home Facts.