[quote=sdrealtor]If all it took was running a database that would have occured a longtime ago. Seriously, Zillow was backed by major amounts of venture capital. Google could create a database in a day capable of running the data portion. But none of them have which tells you it cant be that simple. If it was someone would have done it already.[/quote]
First off, I agree with you that litigation, especially in CA, is no joke.
That said, this could easily be dealt with in a centralized manner. That is, have a set of people reviewing entries into the “iMLS” before they’re made public. If there’s an issue with the wording, shoot it back to the submitter and say, “You can’t say ‘a bunch of old people’ live in this neighborhood – try ‘established’ instead.”
Also, it’s not sufficient to say, “Well, Zillow burned thru all this ca$h so obviously it can’t work.” MP3.com (remember them?) burned thru tons of cash, as did Napster. Yet, iTunes, with the exact same business model, now rules the universe. So, it’s money + brains. Sometimes startups figure money will solve everything, even if spent stupidly.
This doesn’t mean it’s easy, but somebody will succeed. Maybe Redfin. And it’ll be disruptive, and school all the traditional realtors. Just like how the USPS and Cable companies are getting schooled now. It took 10 years, but it happened.
