Rumor: Zillow In To Buy RentJuice For $45 Million

Between gossip and rumors and gossip and more rumors, the Silicon Valley day-to-day is so dramatic Bravo is turning it into not one but two TV shows. No joke. That doesn’t convince you? Well, how about this?

Anyways, I’m in the middle of tracking down a huge funding story but want to get a (separate) rumor du jour out there to you guys, because I’m experimenting with this whole “process journalism” format and have asked several people at both parties involved for more info, to no avail.

Zillow, which went public in July, is the world’s third largest real estate listings marketplace. RentJuice is super-pedigreed and “well funded” realtime management software that simplifies the rental process for landlords, real estate agents and clients. It actually seems like a pretty simpatico partnership, especially since RentJuice is operating on the same “digital marketplace for renters and/or buyers” premise as the company’s other acquisitions. In fact Zillow acquired rental marketplace syndicator Postlets exactly a year ago, and I’m assuming RentJuice is also part of  its wider distribution play.

There are term sheets down from Zillow (not yet signed) and the all-cash $45 million deal should be finalized in two weeks, says whoever contacted me this morning. And no, I’m not being lazy, I’ve spent a good part of the day trying to triangulate this and no dice.

So what the hell!? I’m pretty sure this source is good enough that I’m going to just put “Rumor” in the headline here and see who else comes out of the woodwork.

*PUBLISHES*

So if this is true you heard it here first. If it isn’t please just forget I even wrote this. Catch you in two weeks!