Combine the property tax database with the real estate sales database with digital maps with satellite imaging with aerial photography. What do you get? A picture of your neighborhood with all the home values.
For most of us, our most valuable asset is our home. But very few of us really know what our home is worth. If you ask a real estate agent, you get tangled up in their property listing machine; I know because I used to be a Realtor! You can do an analysis yourself of the recent sales price of comparable homes, and get an estimate of your own home value, but that’s a lot of work. Or you can look at your property tax bill to see what the City thinks your home is worth, but that number is skewed by all sorts of variables.
Now there’s Zillow at http://www.zillow.com/. The brainchild of the founders of travel site Expedia.com, Zillow calculates an estimation of the value of most houses in the USA — your house, your neighbor’s house, your boss’s house, your sister’s house. They do it for free and without asking you for any information like your phone or e-mail. The idea is that if home buyers and sellers have more information about values, everyone can make better decisions. The site is in “beta test” now, but in time they will make the site even more robust for home owners, buyers and sellers. That will generate more traffic and they can make money by selling advertising on the site. They even highlight some famous homes, like the Playboy Mansion valued at $6.09 million or the funeral home on “Six Feet Under”, pictured here, valued at $1.03 million.
John Sweney is a marketing communications and public relations consultant, public speaker and entrepreneur. As co-founder and CEO of Brookwoods Group, he and his team provide customized interim communications and marketing services to large companies and startups. 
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