Friday, April 4, 2014

Redfin Calls Out Zillow In Public Spat

Two of Seattle's most visible, online real estate companies -- Redfin and Zillow -- are in a public spat over real estate listings. In an open letter to Zillow, Redfin said it is "asking for changes" on how Zillow displays Redfin's listings, so that consumers can get from Zillow to the original listings on Redfin. In the unusual, public move, Redfin said it is asking Zillow to make the changes in the next two weeks--and even posted a detailed graphic on the exact changes its wants out of Zillow. It's unclear why Redfin decided to air its grievance with Zillow in a highly visible move; in response to the open letter--first posted on real estate industry site Inman.com--Zillow said it would be "happy to discuss this with Redfin and Glenn directly" at the local Starbucks. Glenn Kelman is the CEO of Redfin.