In a court filing in federal court in Washington on Sunday, May 17, Northwest MLS (NWMLS) is accusing mega-brokerage Compass of promising, then failing to produce documents, datasets and communications in a lawsuit over private listing rules, as both parties have accused each other of anti-competitive practices. The lawsuit, filed by Compass a little over…
Above, Josh Jarboe, broker/owner of REMAX Empire Buyers in Kentucky Joe Hayden, in his recent op-ed, criticizes brokerages for innovating outside the MLS while simultaneously admitting sellers deserve choice and flexibility. You can’t have both. The market is evolving, and some brokers are uncomfortable because they can no longer control where consumers search, market and…
Redfin has launched what it is calling Redfin Early Access, a new search category featuring homes “buyers won’t find on other major real estate sites,” which include both Compass Coming Soon listings through a previously announced partnership as well as properties listed through the company’s brokerage. According to a release from the portal, the category…
Compass remains in headlines this week as CEO Robert Reffkin addressed the industry’s “shifting stance on phased marketing” in the company’s recent Q1 2026 earnings call, as the brokerage touts new synergies and business growth from its recent acquisitions. Speaking to investors, Reffkin said that he and other Compass executives are “pleased to see several…
Fierce portal giant competitors Zillow and Realtor.com have announced a new collaboration where, beginning this summer, Zillow Preview pre-market listings will also be available on Realtor.com®—listed as “Realtor.com Preview” listings. The move, being hailed by the portals in a release as setting “a new standard for pre-market transparency,” will allow buyers to see more homes…
FirstTeam® has announced that it has joined Zillow Preview, the portal’s new way to bring pre-market home listings into the open, earlier in the listing process. As part of the platform, Zillow stated that FirstTeam®’s 2,300 sales agents in California, Arizona, Idaho, and Washington can now publicly pre-market their listings on Zillow and Trulia before…
“I can prove anything by statistics except the truth.” That witticism, attributed to 19th century British orator and statesman George Canning, highlights something that remains extremely relevant today in the information age. While we have nearly unlimited access to data and analysis, they aren’t always—or perhaps often—leading us closer to the answers we seek. Case…
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®,…
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…
Momentum seems to be building for Zillow Preview, with the portal announcing the addition of 24 additional brokerages to the program just one week after its launch. According to the company, Zillow Preview is designed to expand early visibility for sellers, agents and buyers at a critical moment in the home shopping journey, and the…