This article was published on February 5, 2013

Zillow moves into home improvement with its new Digs marketplace


Zillow moves into home improvement with its new Digs marketplace

Real estate information marketplace Zillow has announced a new home improvement marketplace called Zillow Digs, letting those on the hunt for new domestic interiors find inspiration, as well as get to grips with the cost of remodeling projects.

The Web and iPad app lets users create, save and share Pinterest-style boards of things they like, as well comment on photos and follow others with similar tastes.

Zillow Digs Home Page

Launched in 2006, Zillow is an online real estate database catering for home valuations across the US. The company unveiled a new iPad app back in October, to help homebuyers find the right home loan, before launching a free website builder for landlords just before Christmas.

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Interestingly, Zillow actually sued rival Trulia over an alleged patent infringement back in September. Zillow’s complaint was related to its ‘Zestimates’ product, which values properties through its proprietary algorithms. It alleged that Trulia was infringing on its technology by offering a similar service dubbed ‘Trulia Estimates’, which launched in 2011.

As for this latest Digs service, Zillow is taking an obvious step into another lucrative and relevant market, and now has a marketplace for nearly every stage of the property process – including apartment rentals and home-financing. By including this vertical, it opens its service up to many more people – those who aren’t looking to move house, but improve their current one.

“Tens of millions of home buyers shop for homes on Zillow each month, and home improvement is a natural next step for us in consumer empowerment and transparency of information to help people make smarter decisions,” says Spencer Rascoff, CEO at Zillow. “I’m also excited to introduce a revolutionary new tool for consumers: Digs Estimates. This first-of-its-kind remodeling cost estimate algorithm was created by Zillow’s industry-leading team of economists and data analysts who produce extensive housing data and research.”

Zillow Digs Estimates

In addition to estimates, Zillow Digs also lets homeowners identify and touch base with local professionals including architects, contractors and designers. And said professionals can create a Zillow Digs profile featuring their contact information and examples of previous projects.

The Zillow Digs Web and iPad app should be going live around 6pm ET on February 5.

Zillow Digs

Feature Image Credit – Thinkstock

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