Mortgages and Disruption

A few weeks ago I was a guest at a Zillow leadership retreat.  A few things struck me about the team- they have an unusual number of “big thinkers,” are very data focused, and have an uncommon focus on disruption.  Those are important traits to consider when evaluating the Mortgage Marketplace Zillow announced last week.  They’re taking on an industry that is clearly in need of reform, and badly needs more transparency.  With a focus on information transparency, I think Zillow’s approach to the mortgage business is a good one.  I like their chances of shaking things up.

One more note- Zillow gets advertising.   While consumers will turn to Zillow for their Real Estate and Mortgage tools, advertisers should keep an eye on Zillow’s advertising business.  They have a good set of solutions now, and are working on some compelling, data-driven ad products that are very smart.