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The Real Word: Zillow CEO Rich Barton’s ‘trade-in experience’ dream

Byron Lazine and Nicole White are two agents in Connecticut who give us their thoughts on the week’s news every Friday in “The Real Word,” a weekly video column on Inman.

Watch Byron Lazine and Nicole White give a real estate agent’s perspective on industry-related topics. This week: Zillow’s CEO Rich Barton dished on Zillow’s ambitions for what it calls “Real Estate 2.0” on CNBC.

Nicole loves the idea when it comes to cars, but is homeselling too emotional for it to work? Byron says what’s worth noting is that Zillow is no longer an advertising platform. It’s now a transaction model seeking to centralize the real estate process that is otherwise fragmented throughout the industry currently.

Plus, a Zillow study released last week shows that baby boomers are poised to vacate their homes at a much higher rate over the next two decades. As boomers are ready to sell, the question becomes: Are millennials ready to buy?

Marketing highlight of the week

This week’s marketing highlight of the week goes to: Keller Williams Realty’s Ben Nemec for his “Around Town” series. Nemec is connecting with his community, forging relationships and showcasing his community in his marketing videos.

Last week, Byron and Nicole asked readers to weigh in with their pick for marketeer of the week. And the winner is: split ticket. To perhaps no one’s surprise, Byron and Nicole are divided in their picks. Nicole was all in on Chi Actually, a riff on a classic Love Actually scene, and Old Town Realtor Rap, a parody of the popular song “Old Town Road” by Lil Nas X by Ray Fernandez and his team of Realtors.

Want to nominate a “marketeer of the week”? Drop your thoughts in the comments section below or shoot us an email.