Zillow Partners with NextDoor with its own Neighbor Rating Feature

Zillow has hopped on the neighbor-rating trend with an official partnership announcement with NextDoor, the real estate social media platform that launched the Rate Your Neighbor feature. 

Putting its own unique spin on the feature, Zillow has added categories that it found matter most to homebuyers. This way, prospective buyers can peruse the neighborhood ratings in an area before continuing the fine-tuning of their search.  

The categories cover a number of aspects about homeowning and sharing a neighborhood with others, painting a picture of what a new homeowner can expect when they begin their new life in a new home. Those categories include:

• Garage tidiness
• Trashcan etiquette 
• Nearby pets
• Neighbor personalities

Zillow spokesperson Bridget Tanga commented on the garage tidiness criterium: 

“Homeowners across the board agree good neighbors keep their garages tidy and their garage doors shut when the space is not in use. That’s why we’re giving residents the opportunity to rank their neighbors’ garage habits. A clean, well-organized garage with closed doors and spotless, newer model cars inside is sure to earn a five-star rating and may even help surrounding homes sell for a higher price.”

When it comes to nearby pets, cleanliness and noise are very much deciding factors for some. Tanga explained:

“Any evidence of this kind of behavior gives that neighbor an immediate overall rating of one out of five stars. Our research shows homebuyers have zero tolerance for anyone who lets their dogs do their business on a neighbor’s property without bothering to clean up afterward. I mean, that’s just gross.”

People can also review the temperament of their neighbors, giving prospective homebuyers an idea of how friendly they are before deciding on purchasing a home. 

Zillow has stated, however, that there is no disclosure related to race, gender, or age. However, there are options for neighbors to upload photos. Whether or not that will be a liability for Zillow is up to interpretation for the time being. 

Overall, the platform has reported that early results show houses with good neighborhood ratings are selling, on average, 30 days sooner than houses with lower ratings. Tanga said: 

“We’re excited to see what kind of impact Rate Your Neighbor has on the marketplace over time. We believe it could also actually inspire neighbors to be kinder to each other, knowing their rating could impact their home’s overall value.”