Why is Zillow so bad?

[Tiamo Wright]

I have talked to tons of investors recently and everyone says the Zillows interface is the worst, but it is just a side comment and we keep going on to the next conversation. So I have never gotten to the root of what people dislike about it. I have my own hypothesis, but would love to know real data points, what don't you like as an investor about Zillows user experience and or interface?

[Jonathan Greene]

I worked with Zillow for years. My team was on Zillow Flex. They are a platform that has no identity and doesn't really know what they are doing or who they are serving. They make their money off of real estate agents, but real estate agents are the worst people to make money off because they are highly unreliable and in and out of the business when the market changes.

Their target should be the consumer with higher levels that they can subscribe too for data, since Zillow is linked to the MLS now which makes their data somewhere more reliable. But consumers all are on the site for free where real estate agents are constantly hawked to buy leads or participate in what is now a 35-40% referral business for unvetted leads who think they are contacting the listing agent.

Their business model has always been flawed. I gave them consistent feedback for years and still believe they could have made $10m or more off of my ideas. Instead, they bought homes and lost money, then acquired Open Door and lost money. There is no one with experience in actual real estate high up in the company, which is the problem with most tech companies masquerading as real estate companies (including brokerages).

Let me know if you want to know even more. :)