Zoocasa prepares for sold data release
Justin da Rosa
REP
The brokerage has announced its official relaunch, with an eye to the future of sold data availability.
“The recent Competition Tribunal negotiations with the Toronto Real Estate Board has the potential to spur more innovation with the availability of past sold data, which Zoocasa is preparing to incorporate into future tools,” Zoocasa said in release for the relaunch of its website.
The brokerage is concentrating on the digital space in a bid to reach clients both online and offline.
“This is a significant milestone in Zoocasa’s story. Modernization in this industry is slow and fragmented, and we have the opportunity to build a cohesive and informative real estate platform to better serve Canadians,” Zoocasa CEO Lauren Haw said. “We believe that the best online offerings should be paired with the best offline service, and that’s what we’ve spent the last year building.”
Zoocasa was acquired in 2015 from Rogers Communications by a group of investors that included RateHub.ca, one of the country’s most widely used mortgage rate comparison sites.
It’s been a rocky road for the brokerage, which – under its original owner Rogers – ceased operations in June 2015, following a warning from the Toronto Real Estate Board over its publication of sold data.
“Rogers has made the decision to no longer continue our investment in Zoocasa as the business is no longer a fit with our overall company plan, and core areas of focus,” a Rogers rep told REP at the time. “We will close down our website and mobile app effective June 22, 2015.”
However, that is all in the past.
With new owners – and, indeed, the prospect of sold data being opened to the public – Zoocasa’s may be the brokerage model of the future.
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