Inman

The Real Word: Is Zillow’s ShowingTime deal fraught with competition issues?

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.

Lawmakers are trying to level competition by looking into Zillow’s acquisition of ShowingTime. According to Inman, “Two Republican lawmakers have sent a letter to the Federal Trade Commission urging the agency to scrutinize real estate giant Zillow’s planned acquisition of ShowingTime, warning the deal could harm homebuyers and Zillow’s competitors.”

Was the controversial deal an unfair advantage that might affect the competition? Byron and Nicole weigh in. “Do I think it’s going to hurt homebuyers?” Nicole said. “Probably not. But will it potentially hurt the competition? Probably, because they’ll have their hands in pretty much everything.”

More this week: Inman contributor Cara Ameer wrote a piece about 10 things sellers should check off their to-do lists when preparing to sell a house. From freshening up old paint to landscape maintenance, Byron and Nicole discussed the top prep-for-sale items.

“Throw down some mulch, get rid of your weeds, cut some shrubs,” Nicole said. “It’s a super easy thing. You don’t even have to spend money on it.”

Marketeer of the week

Kim Kardashian, with her millions of social media followers and a slew of business, knows a thing or two about marketing. This article explores a few things real estate agents can learn from her life, ventures and enormous success.

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