I don’t get it. Maybe I missed the memo.

At the most recent Clareity MLS Executive Workshop it was revealed by Matt Cohen that Zillow is sending a single data file over to Google for “indexing purposes”. I guess having a single file makes it easier for Google to index all of Zillow’s listing inventory.

But hold on, Zillow’s listing inventory is made up, in a large part, of syndicated listings from ListHub. And as Luke Glass of ListHub pointed in a comment to my post,

“ListHub does not permit resyndication and we take this matter very seriously.”

Which in turn Matt responded.

“Luke, you asked me to follow up with Zillow, and I did – I was assured a data file was being provided and specifics were discussed.”

Why does Zillow and Google get a free pass? What got me thinking about this was an email forwarded to me that is being sent by Trulia. If you haven’t seen it, click below.

So basically Trulia has a free app for agents. Which helps them respond quicker to leads and other benefits. In the past I thought this was a clear case of repurposing data. Now I’m not so sure. ListHub is saying it doesn’t comply with it’s rules and is requiring Trulia to obtain permission from every MLS and broker in the country who syndicates its listings through ListHub. Which isn’t a small task I’m sure. And does anyone think that these brokers (besides Edina, et al.) and MLS providers are going to say no to this letter? Fat chance.

So I ask the question again. Why does Zillow and Google get a free pass but Trulia needs to jump through a bunch of hoops? And what makes it more absurd, Trulia’s free app directly benefits agents.

Makes me wonder. Is Realtor.com/MOVE (ListHub’s parent company) getting any special treatment from Google for allowing Zillow to send them a single data file to index?

Nobody can doubt MOVE made a brilliant strategic “move” by acquiring ListHub. Plus Luke and his team have a lot of smart people, so I’m hoping I’m missing something here. But as I wrote in a previous post they need to be consistent. Otherwise ListHub risks the perception of playing favorites, or worse being a bully.