Get smarter about Mortgages with Mortgages Unzipped
By: David Gibbons, Zillow Director, Community Relations | September 10, 2008
If you think that Fannie and Freddieare the mortgage story of the week, I hope that you’re sitting down. OK, maybe Fannie & Freddie are the big news of the week but while the long-term impact of the fed’s takeover is up for debate, I have no doubt that Mortgages Unzipped, a new blog about mortgages, will assist borrowers.
As homeowners, we have got to get smarter about our mortgages. Yes, I mean you - and me - for many of us, our mortgage is the single largest line item on our monthly budget. And I, for one, have personally come to realize that I knew almost nothing about my mortgage when I bought my first home. I think that applies to most borrowers. Mortgages Unzipped is hosted by Zillow but the blog is authored by mortgage professionals - people we can learn from!
We’ve asked 15 mortgage pro’s to write Mortgages Unzipped. It’s a very smart and experienced group. And as you read the blog, you’ll learn that our authors each have something unique and important to say. Andy Jolls, for example, has a lot to say about your credit score - and he does it on video. Brian Brady, Todd Carpenter, Dan Melson and Rhonda Porter are trailblazers; some of the first mortgage professionals to start blogging and using social media (you can catch Brian’s mortgage rate updates on twitter, for example.) We’re very fortunate to have their support.
Zillow’s mortgage discussions have been on fire since the mortgage marketplace launched. If you ever need a second opinion on a mortgage quote, I recommend asking the lenders in Zillow Discussions. I’ve cajoled a handful of them into taking their advice to the blog. Jennifer Monastero , Rob Cochems, Andrew Adams and Martin Wareing are faces I look forward to seeing on Zillow - and who I know will thrive as writers on Mortgages Unzipped.
Mortgages have presented a new learning curve for Zillow and I would personally have been lost without the help of my mortgage mentor, Joe Dahleen. Joe can teach! While Zillow has been learning the mortgage game, mortgage brokers have been learning how to blog. I’ve learned so much from mortgage bloggers these past 6 months that selecting the dream team for Mortgages Unzipped was easy. I guarantee your that you will also learn something from Matthew Kelly, Justin McHood, Mike Mueller, Michael Taylor, Tom Vanderwall.
We will be highlighting great content from Mortgages Unzipped on this blog and throughout Zillow.com- but the best way to stay in the loop is to subscribe to the blog (via feed or e-mail.)
- Stumble it!
- Categories: Mortgages, Zillow
Comments
10 Comments so far
Enjoy this post? Subscribe to the Zillow Blog feed or get updates via e-mail
Benn/agentgenius on September 10, 2008 8:28 pm
Hi David,
I’d like to again throw congrats your way and welcome you to the ma space. I think what you guys are doing will build longer relationships with consumers and professionals. We wish you guys tons of success!
Best
A Little Reminder…We are Fortunate | Personal Insights on Web 2.0, Blogging, and Business on September 10, 2008 9:32 pm
[...] Vanderwell (who happens to be a contributor to Zillow’s new mortgage blog — Mortgages Unzipped) has a post worth reading over on his blog that should be a good [...]
Spencer Rascoff on September 10, 2008 9:39 pm
very exciting stuff
and there’s so much to talk about in the current environment
looking forward to it
David G on September 10, 2008 10:02 pm
Hi Benn - Thank you!
Why I will be contributing to Zillow’s new mortgage blog, and why you should too. — Mortgage Industry Blog on September 10, 2008 10:34 pm
[...] David Gibbons asked me to contribute to Mortgages Unzipped, I tried to squirm out of it. I don’t originate [...]
Chris Kamali on September 10, 2008 11:06 pm
I am very curious to see what the professionals insights are as to where rates are going. I hope this is a big step towards a recovery.
Drew Meyers on September 11, 2008 9:12 am
Ben-
Thanks for the kinds words. While I would love to say this is a brand new space for us, it’s worth noting that Zillow has actually been in the multi-author blog space since we launched in 2006 (Zillow Blog is a multi-author blog) and we added Geek Estate in the summer of 2007 that consists of contributors outside of Zillow employees.
tomdavie on September 11, 2008 10:06 am
David.
Great Job . You are in good hands with Jenn, Rob Martin and Andrew from the mortgage point of view. Let us know if the rest of us can help in any way.
David Gibbons on September 11, 2008 5:11 pm
Thank you Tom!
varsha on March 19, 2009 12:06 am
I am very curious to see what the professionals insights are as to where rates are going. I hope this is a big step towards a recovery.