More on SB1291, Zillow, AZ Board of Appraisal and Big Brother

SB1291, mentioned here and there over the past few days has been amended — with some common sense for a change. Greg Swann sums up the recent activity well, no point in rehashing it here.

Kudos to state Representative Michele Reagan (R-Scottsdale) for doing the right thing. Hey, anyone with dogs named Lucky and Bozo can't be all that bad. She's not a fan of lining city coffers with money collected from speed cameras either.  Smart lady apparently.

Representative Reagan's press release on SB1291:

Arizona House: Zestimates here to stay

(State Capitol, Phoenix) – Arizona homeowners can still access their “zestimates” with the preliminary approval Monday of a bill that bars the Arizona Board of Appraisal from torpedoing online businesses that provide property value estimates.

An amendment sponsored by Rep. Michele Reagan to SB1291 allows web sites to offer free opinions regarding the value of real estate if it is not an actual appraisal. The bill impacts most notably Zillow.com, which provides free estimates of a property’s value.

“Companies like Zillow.com provide an easy way to get an idea of the value of a home anywhere in the country,” said Reagan, R-Scottsdale. “Government should not put the kibosh on such an informative online tool.”

The Arizona Board of Appraisal sent two cease and desist letters ordering Zillow.com to stop offering its free service in the state. The board is also considering suing the Seattle-based company despite its wide popularity in Arizona and around the nation. In addition, the board asked the Arizona attorney general to prosecute Zillow.com for offering “zestimates.”

“Zillow.com provides a valuable resource for Arizonans and an unelected board’s desire to hamper consumers’ efforts to get as much information as possible makes no sense,” Reagan, chairwoman of the House Commerce Committee, said. “Instead of protecting Arizonans, the Board of Appraisal wants to stifle access to valuable market information.”

The bill received initial approval Monday and is expected to get a vote on the House floor this week. The bill then goes back to the Senate for final consideration.

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(Bold = my emphasis)

Nice to see someone at the Capital with at least some semblance of reality…

Technorati Tags: SB1291, AZ Board of Appraisal, Michele Reagan, Zillow

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