Redfin has formally—and publicly—asked Washington-based Northwest MLS (NWMLS) to change its rules and allow home sellers to pre-market their properties. The request, detailed in a letter from Joe Rath, Redfin’s Head of Industry Relations at Rocket Companies, challenges what critics have called one of the most restrictive policies around public marketing across the MLS landscape.…
In a matter of weeks this quarter, all the major brokerages partnered with portals to pre-market their listings. Compass routed its pre-market listings to Redfin; Zillow formed its own coalition—with Keller Williams, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices, RE/MAX, United Real Estate and Side—as it launched Zillow Preview. And eXp Realty announced a “Coming Soon” partnership with Realtor.com®,…
“Premarket listings.” It’s the new industry catchphrase, thankfully replacing “commission lawsuits,” but, alas, it comes with its own controversy. The practice of promoting a property to potential buyers and agents before being listed on the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) has also made its way into the courtroom, most prominently via a tussle between Compass and…
The legal battle between Northwest MLS (NWMLS) and Compass escalated this past week as NWMLS filed counterclaims in federal court, accusing the nation’s largest residential brokerage of violating Washington’s Consumer Protection Act, fraudulent misrepresentation and tortious interference—charges Compass swiftly dismissed as retaliation by a “monopolist” protecting its own turf. The counterclaims, filed April 2 in…
There is a lot of noise in the real estate industry right now. Clear Cooperation. Private listings. Lawsuits. And now a growing push toward exclusive “Coming Soon” and preview platforms. Let me be clear about where HomeSmart stands. Until shown otherwise, we believe listings should be broadly accessible, not restricted to any one platform or…
As a cascade of “premarketing” partnerships and programs sweep through the industry, Compass International Holdings (CIH), Rocket and Redfin have sent out a letter asking MLSs to change their policies to support phased listing distribution and cease punishments on agents for “seller-directed marketing plans.” The letter, obtained by RISMedia, was seemingly shared with MLSs and…
The mad dash for premarket power is showing no signs of slowing, as mega-brokerage eXp announced that it is striking a listing partnership with Realtor.com®, Homes.com and ComeHome.com (HouseCanary’s portal in Google Search), just 24 hours after Zillow launched a similar partnership with five other big national companies. Starting next month, eXp agents will be…
State legislatures across the U.S. have been seeing new bills that would restrict private real estate listings, with mandates that such listings also be publicly marketed. Wisconsin enacted such legislation in December 2025 (to take effect in January 2027), while another bill of this nature is under consideration in Washington state. Now, the Illinois legislature…
Editor’s note: this story is part two of a two-part series—read part one here. 2025 was another whirlwind year for real estate, with industry professionals facing ups, downs and everything in between. The industry saw a lot of major developments, and it can be hard to keep track of everything—from continued debates over Clear Cooperation…
Four Louisiana real estate brokers have filed a supplemental motion in federal court, seeking to add newly available legal authority and factual developments to their ongoing antitrust case against the National Association of Realtors® (NAR) and several Louisiana-based real estate associations. The case, filed in January 2025, in the U.S. District Court for the Middle…
| Newer Posts | Older Posts |