Copying and pasting - Just not allowed.

If I could copy and paste an entire blog, I would. 

Today over at SellsiusRealEstate they displayed what I feel to be the truth about many issues regarding Zillow and sometimes the truth just hurts.  Sometimes when you believe in something and stand up to it , then to just change your position is hard.  Unless you come out and say "I was wrong".  I have not heard any of that. 

But that is not my real issue.   

I will go on record and state - I do think that Zillow is misleading - and to claim or to state that the consumers are stupid to believe or be so gullible is a huge issue for me.  This is can not be the defense?  Yes, there are stupid disclaimers on items that we KNOW what NOT to do with them.  But the disclaimers are there for a reason - and the companies will not be held liable for the misuse of such products.  (They do also add humor, but that is beside the point).  The disclaimer that Zillow is currently using is not good enough.  That is just it.  It is not good enough.  They do not have a disclaimer on their site that states "You consumers are stupid, and this is not real, although we are nice guys, our Zestimates are no better than a fortune teller"  Its not there.  There is not a disclaimer that is as blatant as that, anywhere on the site. 

Well we all know,  Zillow can't actually print that as a disclaimer because that would be condescending.  Interesting fact.    But, when a complaint gets filed by a consumer - that's when we can tell the consumer that they are in fact to blame,  "because if you were that stupid to trust and believe an AVM, then you clearly MUST allow your gerbil to use windex, or perhaps you shower while blow drying your hair, if you Mr. Consumer could be so stupid to believe this company, then SANTA won't be coming to your home this year, go back to school". 

I have another issue - the other agency's that have the API on their sites.   To quote Greg Swan "If you lay down with dogs, you wake up with fleas".  What I don't understand is HOW or maybe I should ask WHY, would you  real estate agents do such a thing?   If a consumer goes onto your site and pulls a Zestimate off of YOUR site, aren't you then the  one voicing  the value?  What if the Zestimate is off, how does one retract the information that they got off of an actual real estate agency's  website?    This is a big issue and I feel that agency's that have this API on their sites, should be held liable as well.  Listen, I can't voice someone else's "opinion" and then point the finger to someone else.  It just does not work that way. 

I think today's MUST read is Sellsius° real estate blog - all 10 of their posts.