Zillow Just Declared War on Real Estate Listings
Zillow Is Playing Hardball, And the Fight Over Real Estate Listings Just Escalated
There’s a major power shift happening in real estate, and it centers on who controls the listing.
Zillow just announced that, starting May 2025, it will no longer display any listing that’s publicly marketed but not entered into the MLS within 24 hours. Redfin is following suit. The move aligns with NAR’s Clear Cooperation Policy (CCP), which was originally designed to prevent private “pocket listings” and ensure all buyers had equal access to new inventory.
But this new enforcement isn’t just about fairness.
It’s about protecting Zillow’s position as the go-to platform for home search—and stopping brokerages from cutting them out of the loop.
Here’s the real threat: new “delayed marketing” options let brokerages list properties on the MLS without syndicating them to portals like Zillow. That means listings can stay “in-house” for a time, shared only among agents leaving Zillow out. If that trend grows, Zillow risks losing massive amounts of fresh inventory, which could hurt traffic, ad revenue, and agent referral streams.
Zillow’s response? Block those listings entirely.
If you don’t play by their 24-hour rule, your listing is blackballed for the life of the listing.
Zillow says this protects consumers. They cite studies showing off-market listings disproportionately hurt sellers of color and cost sellers billions. But critics argue this is more about centralizing control over listings than consumer advocacy.
Meanwhile, some brokerages like Compass are pushing exclusives and expanding their own search platforms. Their bet? In the long run, they’ll need to own the listing, not rely on third-party portals—especially as AI and self-serve tools threaten to displace agents altogether.
Why it matters:
This is more than a policy debate. It’s a strategic battle over visibility, control, and who profits from listing data.
And sellers, buyers—and even agents—are stuck in the middle.
At Sunday, we’re building a platform that puts homeowners back in control eliminating bloated commissions and simplifying the real estate transaction.
But moves like this, where platforms gate keep listings and enforce rigid timelines create unnecessary barriers for modern sellers.
We believe sellers deserve flexibility, transparency, and access without playing by rules designed to protect platform or brokerage profits.
There’s so much change in the real estate industry it’s hard to keep up, but we firmly believe this is an exciting and ideal time to launch a company focused on the future of home selling.
Next up! News that the DOJ is looking at re-opening the anti-trust settlements from last year and making sure real changes are actually implemented, a very good sign for consumers. As always we’ll keep you updated.
