HouseValues, a locally-based online real estate agent lead generator has been swirling the drain since the national real estate market first started slowing down last year. They were in the news again yesterday, as their CFO jumped ship.
For the second time in a year, Kirkland-based HouseValues is restructuring its executive team and laying off employees.
In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission on Wednesday, the online real-estate company announced its chief financial officer, R. Barry Allen, has resigned and 45 jobs are being eliminated.
Allen came to HouseValues last January during a restructuring that eliminated the chief operating officer position on as well as 60 other jobs. It also closed its Yakima call center in July, eliminating 100 jobs.
Anybody want to make wagers on how much longer HouseValues will last? I’ll be surprised if they still exist at this time next year. With the pressure of Zillow’s free service on one side, an increasingly slow market on the other, and generally poor service to their only real customers (real estate agents), I’m amazed they have lasted as long as they have.
(Elizabeth Rhodes, Seattle Times, 01.24.2008)