9 Alternatives to Zillow When Buying or Selling a Home
If you’ve ever been involved in a conversation about home prices and real estate, chances are you’ve heard of Zillow.
Much like other online platforms created in the late 1990s and early 2000s — think Amazon which primarily sold books, and Facebook which was only available to college students — what began as a specialized site has grown into something much larger that now includes home loans, closing services, and Zillow Premier Agents. Zillow also owns other companies, including Trulia, Out East, StreetEasy, HotPads, and Showing Time.
When you start your home search or decide to list your home, chances are, you’ve checked out what Zillow or Trulia has to offer, but there are similar companies that can facilitate the buying and selling process — and some may be an even better fit!
What is Zillow?
Zillow was founded in 2004 as a response to the difficulties co-founder and CEO Rich Barton faced as he tried to find information on houses when he was looking to buy a bigger home for his growing family. Its website launched in 2006 with “Zestimates,” or home value estimates, and data on more than 40 million homes in the US.
Since its inception, Zillow has become a massive player in the online real estate industry. According to Statista, Zillow is the leading real estate and rental website in the US based on monthly website visits, receiving 36 million unique visits a month as of 2023.
