There's nothing much need be said about Zillow's announcement earlier today that they will now accept real estate listings on their website.

For-Sale-By-Owners can submit their homes for sale, and individual agents can upload their own listings (as of now, Zillow doesn't have feeds from any agencies, and my guess is, they might not get any).

The added exposure for sellers is beneficial.

I'm not sure how much this helps the average buyer. There are so many ways to already get access to some if not all listings in each market - starting with, of course, the local MLS, which will include just about every home for sale using an agent (and a lot of FSBOs, too). Agents can already post their listings to Google, Yahoo!, craigslist, etc.

(And, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention agents can also post their listings on condoDomain.com, run by my compadres over on Newbury Street. In addition, their site also has many new condo developments listed, which you may or may not find through MLS.)

I don't see the added value. Well, I do see it, of course. The added value is that Zillow has its "zestimates" - they value every one of 70 million listings in their database. So, buyers can now go to Zillow, find a property for sale, and then see its past sales history, assessed value, estimated value now, etc.

But, houses aren't airline tickets, and they aren't boxes of Cheerios. Each house is different. I don't think Zillow can burrow down to the level necessary to give you the accurate information you need.

Maybe other people feel differently.

I still think Zillow is a neat idea, but nothing more.

More: Zillow adds for-sale listings - Site will feature FSBO, agent-listed property details - By Glenn Roberts Jr., Inman News