SEATTLE, Dec. 10, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- The first book by Zillow® CEO Spencer Rascoff and Chief Economist Stan Humphries, "Zillow Talk: The New Rules of Real Estate" will be published Jan. 27, 2015 by Grand Central Publishing.

Buying or selling a home is the biggest financial decision most people will make in their lifetimes. For most, it's an infrequent, expensive and, above all, emotional transaction. But the biggest housing recession since the Great Depression has drastically changed the rules around buying and selling.

As CEO and chief economist at Zillow, the leading real estate website and operator of the most popular real estate apps, Rascoff and Humphries are in a unique position to provide practical, data-driven advice  based not on old myths or conventional wisdom, but on analysis of housing trends and the company's enormous volume of real estate data. Zillow is the only real estate company that publishes monthly housing data for the nation, as well as for over 450 local markets down to the ZIP code level.

"This book provides answers to the most common real estate questions, like, 'Should I buy the worst house in the best part of town?' or 'How do I find the next hot neighborhood?'" said Rascoff.  "Until now, the only answers we had were anecdotal and imprecise. Today, thanks to our work mining Zillow's treasure trove of rich housing data, we are able to uncover game-changing trends, bust some common myths and ultimately offer new insights to help people make smarter decisions."

"It's important to understand how the real estate market has changed, and how these changes affect home owners, buyers, sellers, renters and landlords," said Humphries.  "This book is a practical, easy-to-understand guide, based on our market-leading analyses, to the new realities of the housing market."

Zillow Talk tackles the most common, controversial and thought-provoking questions around real estate, including:

• Should you buy the worst home in the best neighborhood?
• How can you find an affordable home in a great school district?
• When it comes to resale value, is it better to remodel your kitchen or bathroom?
• How can you spot the next hot neighborhood?
• Why will a house on Elm Court sell for more than one on Elm Street?
• Is it better to live near a Starbucks or a Dunkin Donuts?
• When does an Adjustable Rate Mortgage make financial sense?

Business Insider just named Zillow Talk one of the 15 Best Business Books Coming Out in 2015, and early praise from the Kirkus Reviews notes that Zillow Talk is a "must read for readers interested in buying, selling or renting a home." Zillow Talk is currently available for pre-order on Amazon and BarnesandNoble.com:

http://www.amazon.com/Zillow-Talk-Rules-Real-Estate/dp/1455574740/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1416256392&sr=8-1&keywords=Zillow+Talk

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/zillow-talk-spencer-rascoff/1119439696?ean=9781455574742

Additional information about the book and its authors can also be found on: http://www.zillow.com/zillowtalk/

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About Zillow:

Zillow, Inc. (NASDAQ: Z) operates the largest home-related marketplaces on mobile and the Web, with a complementary portfolio of brands and products that help people find vital information about homes, and connect with the best local professionals. In addition, Zillow operates an industry-leading economics and analytics bureau led by Zillow's Chief Economist Dr. Stan Humphries. Dr. Humphries and his team of economists and data analysts produce extensive housing data and research covering more than 450 markets at Zillow Real Estate Research. Zillow also sponsors the quarterly Zillow Home Price Expectations Survey, which asks more than 100 leading economists, real estate experts and investment and market strategists to predict the path of the Zillow Home Value Index over the next five years. Welcoming nearly 90 million unique users per month (July 2014), the Zillow, Inc. portfolio includes Zillow.com®, Zillow Mobile, Zillow Mortgages, Zillow Rentals, Zillow Digs®, Postlets®, Diverse Solutions®, Mortech®, HotPads™, StreetEasy® and Retsly™. The company is headquartered in Seattle.

Zillow.com, Zillow, Postlets, Mortech, Diverse Solutions, StreetEasy, and Digs are registered trademarks of Zillow, Inc. HotPads and Retsly are trademarks of Zillow, Inc.

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SOURCE Zillow, Inc.