Online home-valuation service Zillow.com has teamed with Yahoo! to provide consumers at Yahoo!’s search portals with quick access to home values.
When consumers search for “home values” at Yahoo! Search, a shortcut enables users to enter a U.S. address that takes them directly to a page where estimated values and comparable homes are plotted on an interactive map. On the map, users can switch to satellite view and zoom in to see the surrounding neighborhood and comparable homes.
The Zillow valuation service can also be accessed on Yahoo! Real Estate by clicking on the “What’s My Home Worth?” button.
Yahoo! sites registered 5.6 billion search queries in the second quarter and 1.8 billion in June, according to comScore Networks.
Zillow launched a beta site in February, providing valuation and other information on nearly 67 million U.S. homes. The company last week added a home financing section to its site where consumers can get a loan quote from LendingTree and check on mortgage rates from Bankrate. The finance center also includes information on different loan types, qualifying for a mortgage and choosing a lender, among other things.
Zillow was started by a group of Internet veterans, including Expedia founder and former CEO Rich Barton and former Expedia Senior Vice President Lloyd Frink. The Seattle-based company raised $32 million in funding from Benchmark Capital and Technology Crossover Venture, as well as employees, directors and private investors.
Zillow has an advertising-based business model that features banner ads and a display of Google AdSense ads alongside its home data results.
The online company in April formed a technical advisory board to provide independent advice on improving the technology and algorithms that support the company’s online services for real estate consumers.
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