Douglas Elliman Partners With Zillow

By Danny Schrafel

dschrafel@longislandergroup.com

A pair of real estate powerhouses have joined forces to create what they hope will be the most accurate, comprehensive clearinghouse of real estate listings in New York and beyond.

Huntington and New York City-based Douglas Elliman Real Estate, one of the largest real estate brokerages in the nation and New York City's largest residential brokerage, announced on June 24 they have entered a partnership with web-based real estate network Zillow Inc.

“We’re giving the customer the best of both worlds,” Dottie Herman, president and CEO of Douglas Elliman, said Monday. “Everything that goes to them will come back to our clients from us with all the information they need, with the agents that are in the market they’re dealing with.”

Starting June 24, all of Douglas Elliman's listings will appear as featured listings on the Zillow Real Estate Network via a direct feed from Douglas Elliman, which will ensure that accurate, up-to-date information is being shared with home shoppers from across the regions Douglas Elliman serves. Those updates will come every 15 minutes, Herman said.

“If there was a price break, you would know about that right away,” Herman explained.

Also, as part of the partnership, Douglas Elliman’s inventory of Manhattan properties will be marketed on Zillow for the very first time as featured listings that will appear atop Zillow searches, mobile apps and partners AOL Real Estate and HGTV’s FrontDoor.

“We are excited about our partnership with Douglas Elliman,” said Spencer Rascoff, Zillow CEO. “Combining Douglas Elliman's listing inventory with our broad marketing capabilities and audience of nearly 82 million users brings many benefits not only to Douglas Elliman’s agents, but also to home shoppers looking for property in Manhattan and in the other markets served by Douglas Elliman.”

In addition to displaying as a featured listing on Zillow, all Douglas Elliman's listings will feature unique branding.

"This ultimate pairing of technology, data, and face-to-face information is designed to provide the best possible service to the customer," Herman said. "We have always been committed to ensuring an exceptional service experience for consumers."

By combining forces, Zillow and Douglas Elliman will be able to marry Zillow’s vast database with the personal touch of Douglas Elliman Real Estate on a wide-reaching platform, Herman said.

“With real estate, every property is unique… We feel we’re giving the consumer what they want and when they want it,” Herman said.

Douglas Elliman’s CEO has deep Long Island roots. She got her start in real estate on Long Island, working for Northport native Carll S. Burr III’s real estate firm, and buying Prudential Long Island Realty with Burr in 1989. She later purchased Douglas Elliman with her partner Howard Lorber in 2003. Since then, Douglas Elliman has become the largest and fastest-growing real estate firm in New York, with offices from Manhattan to Montauk, and now in Westchester County and South Florida.