REBNY (Real Estate Board of New York) built the RLS (Residential Listing Service) opt-out for a reason. Some sellers have a legitimate need for privacy: a high-profile divorce, an estate sale, a public figure who cannot have their address splashed across a consumer portal. The “participants only” status lets those sellers still benefit from cooperation…

Read More

Last night’s ruling in Zillow’s lawsuit against Chicago-based MLS MRED and mega-brokerage Compass represented a significant legal setback for the portal, even as the larger fight over policy and market power plays out on multiple fronts. A source close to MRED told RISMedia shortly after the court ruling that the MLS is prepared to enforce…

Read More

New York looks likely to become the latest state to create restrictions on private listings. On June 1, the New York State Senate passed the Fair and Transparent Real Estate Listings Act, after amending the bill to include an opt-out option for sellers. The act’s intention is to prevent properties from only being available on…

Read More

Democratic firebrand Elizabeth Warren is joining a handful of other lawmakers in calling out Compass and MRED for their private-listing centered partnership, penning a letter with accusations that their practices could “perpetuate” discrimination and make housing harder to access. First reported by Realtor.com®, the letter is the second time in about two weeks that federal…

Read More

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)…

Read More

Google’s effort to embed listings directly into its world-dominant search engine just expanded nationally as the tech mega-company leans into the scramble for listing control and display. Starting this summer—but currently limited only to mobile—consumers across the country will see entire listings with photos, pricing, home characteristics and the identities of listing agent and brokerage…

Read More

Above, left to right: Zillow CEO Jeremy Wacksman, MRED CEO Rebecca Jensen and Compass International Holdings CEO Robert Reffkin Against the backdrop of a nationwide fight over listing access, data control and marketing strategies, Chicago has become a flashpoint, with MLS Midwest Real Estate Data (MRED) recently cutting Zillow off from its listing feeds, ostensibly…

Read More

Above: CRMLS CEO Art Carter Back in 2020, the Clear Cooperation Policy (CCP)—compelling agents to submit properties to the MLS within one day of public marketing—recieved immediate pushback. But the headlines mostly centered on the reactions of ostensible outsiders, including listing startups that filed lawsuits and antitrust law enforcement that flagged the policy as potentially…

Read More

Above: NextHome Co-CEO James Dwiggins and eXp Realty CEO Leo Pareja Virtual-focused brokerage eXp announced it is buying NextHome, in a move that pairs yet another high-growth tech-focused company with a more traditional franchisor as the industry rapidly accelerates through an unprecedented period of consolidation. In an announcement today, eXp and NextHome executives characterized the…

Read More

Above, Bess Freedman, left and Michele Harrington Brown Harris Stevens (BHS) and FirstTeam®—based in New York City and Southern California, respectively—today announced what they are describing as a multi-year marketing partnership meant to “unite” the two storied independents from coast to coast. Focused on “cross-marketing initiatives, advertising, public relations, networking, and shared insights,” company executives…

Read More