The battle over private listings is playing out nearly everywhere—from statehouses and courthouses to brokerage offices and Wall Street boardrooms. As opponents and supporters of the practice make their cases, the debate looks vastly different depending on the venue. But one tool that is nearly always effective is data. And as the practice draws more…
Above: the Everett McKinley Dirksen United States Courthouse in Chicago. CHICAGO—Zillow Chief Financial Officer Jeremy Hofmann testified Wednesday afternoon that a permanent loss of Midwest Real Estate Data (MRED)’s listing feed could trigger what he called a “downward spiral” for Zillow’s business, as testimony continued in the preliminary injunction hearing between Zillow, MRED and Compass.…
Editor’s note: RISMedia will be on the ground in Chicago this week to provide live coverage of the hearing. Stay tuned to RISMedia.com for the latest updates. A long-simmering dispute between Zillow and Chicago-based MLS Midwest Real Estate Data (MRED) exploded into a public battle last month, ending up (like many recent industry disputes have)…
The multiple listing service has always been a simple concept. But like a lot of straightforward ideas, everything gets a lot more complicated once you need to address competing interests, stakeholder priorities and operational requirements. Even so, MLSs remained a relatively unquestioned foundation of real estate for decades—until now. For the first time in the…
A transaction starts with a seller, and ends with a buyer. Everything in between is theoretically flexible—though for many years, not much has changed, as sellers have relied on agents to list properties directly on local MLSs, which subsequently syndicate properties to consumer portals that have the most reach with buyers. Today, the industry faces…
The high-profile, industry-shaking battle between mega-brokerage Compass and dominant portal Zillow is back in the courtroom, as Zillow is asking a court to block a major MLS from cutting off its listing feed, claiming that Compass is engaging in an “illegal conspiracy” to promote its private listing and undermine Zillow. The 52-page lawsuit, which Zillow…
Just under nine months after filing a bombshell lawsuit against Zillow, Compass is dropping its legal challenge after the portal quietly modified its “Listing Access Standards” yesterday. The lawsuit had claimed that Zillow conspired with fellow portal Redfin to prevent Compass from implementing its “three-phased marketing plan” that involves a private listing phase. Last April,…
U.S. District Judge Jeannette Vargas of the Southern District of New York has denied Compass’s request for a preliminary injunction against Zillow’s new listing rules (what it calls “Listing Access Standards”), allowing the portal’s new rules to remain in effect while the broader antitrust lawsuit plays out. The decision delivers a significant legal setback for…