SEATTLE, Jan. 19, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Following President Obama's State of the Union address, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Julian Castro will answer questions from homeowners, renters and prospective buyers in a live-streamed event hosted by Zillow, Inc., the leading real estate and home-related information marketplace.

Castro will join Zillow® Chief Economist Stan Humphries for a fireside chat this Wednesday, Jan. 21, at 9:15 a.m. EST. The conversation will be broadcast from the kick-off event in the Zillow Housing Roadmap series, taking place in Washington, D.C. Questions will come from a live audience, as well as from the social media community using the #HousinginAmerica hashtag.

Castro will be discussing the Obama administration's most recent housing initiatives and will address a variety of questions about responsible homeownership, the decision to buy versus rent and the resources available to first-time homebuyers ready to enter the market.

"Between low mortgage rates and quickly rising rents, many first-time homebuyers are seriously considering buying," Humphries said. "But the market can be tough to navigate, and there are many government programs that can help. Zillow's mission is to help homeowners, renters and prospective buyers make smarter choices about real estate, and we are thrilled to connect Americans across the country with Secretary Castro."

Zillow's Housing Roadmap to 2016 is a national housing tour that will deeply explore the housing issues Americans face in their neighborhoods and communities, and how they affect the nation as a whole. The conversation will serve as a sounding board for new ideas and common themes as Zillow begins to identify communities tackling key housing issues with creative and innovative solutions.

To submit questions, tweet to @Zillow using the hashtag #HousinginAmerica. The event will be live-streamed on www.zillow.com/education/hud/ and www.whitehouse.gov. 

About Zillow, Inc.      
Zillow, Inc. (NASDAQ: Z) operates the leading real estate and home-related information 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. Zillow's brands serve the full lifecycle of owning and living in a home: buying, selling, renting, financing, remodeling and more. In addition, Zillow offers a suite of tools and services to help local real estate, mortgage, rental and home improvement professionals manage and market their businesses. Welcoming more than 73 million unique users in December 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, HotPads and Digs are registered trademarks of Zillow, Inc. Retsly is a trademark of Zillow, Inc.

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/hud-secretary-julian-castro-to-answer-housing-questions-in-live-fireside-chat-moderated-by-zillow-chief-economist-300022102.html

SOURCE Zillow, Inc.