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Zillow has strategically expanded its footprint in the real estate industry through numerous acquisitions since its founding in 2006. Here's a comprehensive look at Zillow's acquisition journey, from the earliest to the most recent purchases.
Postlets (2011)
A free listing creation and distribution platform founded by Raymond Chen and Asher Matsuda. Zillow acquired Postlets for an undisclosed amount to increase its listing inventory and provide additional tools for real estate professionals.
Diverse Solutions (2011)
A company providing MLS data and website tools to real estate agents. Zillow acquired Diverse Solutions for $7.8 million to improve its offerings to real estate professionals and increase agent adoption of Zillow's platform.
RentJuice (2012)
A rental relationship management software company founded by David Vivero. Zillow acquired RentJuice for $40 million and later rebranded it as Zillow Rentals, marking Zillow's first major move into the rental market.
HotPads (2012)
A map-based rental and real estate search site focusing on rentals. Founded by Douglas Pope, John Fitzpatrick, and Matt Corgan, Zillow acquired HotPads for $16 million to significantly expand its rental marketplace business.
Mortech (2012)
A mortgage software and marketing company. Zillow acquired Mortech for approximately $12 million as part of its strategy to expand its mortgage services and create more revenue streams beyond advertising.
StreetEasy (2013)
New York City's leading real estate website founded by Sebastian Delmont, Michael Smith, and Doug Perlson. Zillow acquired StreetEasy for approximately $50 million to gain a stronger foothold in the lucrative NYC real estate market, where StreetEasy had established dominance.
Retsly (2014)
A software company that simplified how developers could build applications using MLS data. Founded by Kyle Campbell and Joshua Lopour, Zillow acquired Retsly to improve its data capabilities and relationships with MLS organizations. The acquisition price wasn't disclosed.
Trulia (2015)
Zillow's largest acquisition was its main competitor Trulia, founded by Pete Flint and Sami Inkinen, for $2.5 billion in stock. This blockbuster deal consolidated Zillow's position as the dominant online real estate marketplace and eliminated its biggest competitor while expanding its user base significantly.
Dotloop (2015)
A transaction management platform founded by Austin Allison that digitized the real estate paperwork process. Zillow acquired Dotloop for approximately $108 million to simplify the closing process and keep users within the Zillow ecosystem from search to close.
Bridge Interactive (2016)
A creator of broker and MLS software tools that streamlined the listing data management process. This acquisition helped Zillow improve listing data accuracy and build better relationships with real estate professionals. The acquisition price wasn't disclosed.
Technology Impact
Bridge Interactive's technology standardized data exchange between MLSs and brokers.
Industry Adoption
The tools were adopted by multiple MLSs across the country.
Naked Apartments (2016)
Zillow Group acquired Naked Apartments, a New York City apartment rental site, in a $13 million deal to further strengthen its presence in the NYC rental market.
New Home Feed (2017)
A listing management platform specifically for new home builders. Zillow acquired this company to strengthen its new construction marketplace and improve its relationship with home builders. The acquisition amount wasn't disclosed publicly.
Mortgage Lenders of America (2018)
A mortgage origination company that Zillow acquired to support its Zillow Offers program and expand into direct mortgage lending. The acquisition, for an undisclosed amount, was rebranded as Zillow Home Loans and represented Zillow's significant step toward becoming a more integrated real estate platform.
Financial Integration
This acquisition marked Zillow's entry into the financial services sector.
ShowingTime (2021)
A showing management and market statistics platform for real estate professionals. Zillow acquired ShowingTime for approximately $500 million, seeking to streamline the home touring process and gain access to ShowingTime's network of 370,000+ agents across North America. This move aimed to reduce friction in the home buying process.
Impact on Agent Workflow
The acquisition greatly improved the scheduling experience for both agents and home buyers.
Since its founding by Rich Barton and Lloyd Frink in 2006, Zillow has transformed from a real estate valuation website into a comprehensive real estate marketplace through these strategic acquisitions. Each purchase has either eliminated competition, added new technology capabilities, expanded into new markets, or enhanced Zillow's service offerings along the real estate transaction lifecycle.