“In an emailed statement, a Zillow spokesperson told HousingWire, that the ruling on its motion was “an important first step for the Chicago home buyers, sellers and agents who have been harmed by a coordinated scheme between MRED and Compass to reduce transparency in the housing market.”
“In the middle of a housing affordability crisis, powerful industry players colluded to hide listings, suppress competition and steer consumers toward a single dominant brokerage,” the spokesperson wrote. “The court immediately recognized what was at stake, not just for Zillow, but for every person trying to find or sell a home across Illinois and beyond. We will continue to fight to ensure this anti-consumer conduct is not allowed to take root permanently.”
The Industry Relations Podcast is now available on your favorite podcast player!
Overview
This episode starts with Greg discussing Giant Steps’ new MLS channel guidebook and the growing difficulty vendors face navigating organized real estate. Rob and Greg unpack how MLS relationships, site licenses, and enterprise deals have changed, why vendor distribution is getting harder, and how AI could completely reshape SaaS and real estate technology business models. The conversation then shifts into AI as “labor” rather than just software, token-based economics, infrastructure wars between Zillow, Compass, and the MLS ecosystem, and how the fallout from Sitzer/Burnett continues to reshape the industry. They also debate BLX, MLS cooperation, and whether MLSs are behaving more like governments than businesses.
Key Takeaways
Greg explains why MLS site-license deals are becoming rarer and why vendors increasingly need direct-to-agent strategies.
Rob compares MLSs to government bureaucracies and argues vendors often need “lobbyists” to navigate the system.
Discussion on AI shifting from a SaaS tool to a labor replacement model powered by compute and tokens.
Rob and Greg explore how Zillow, Compass, and MLSs are competing to become the core infrastructure layer of real estate.
Debate over whether BLX strengthens MLS cooperation or creates a path around traditional MLS systems.
The long-term ripple effects of Sitzer/Burnett continue to reshape technology, brokerage, and listing distribution strategies.
AI is opening up new possibilities in real estate—and at Cotality, it’s built directly into everyday workflows to improve listing quality, strengthen marketing, and give agents more time back.
Cotality’s new CorePlans™ is a great example. It lets agents automatically generate detailed floor plans, room dimensions, and descriptions directly from their iPhone Pro.
Leveraging LiDAR technology and Cotality’s proprietary CoreAI, agents can create ANSI-compliant floor plans in minutes—eliminating the traditional 24–48 hour processing turnaround— with 99.96% accuracy. Fully integrated into Matrix™, everything uploads with one tap, with room dimensions and descriptions automatically added to the listing.
According to a 2025 WAV Group study, 85% of buyers find floor plans extremely valuable. They are the new essential marketing standard that buyers expect.
There’s a clear gap between what buyers want and what most listings deliver. CorePlans help close that gap.
Available first to MLSs with the new Matrix Listing Manager, then rolling out to additional providers that meet requirements. Want to learn more? For more information, reach out to your Cotality rep to schedule a demo or visit cotality.com.
I’m not sure of the particulars of how the feeds work, and I know that some Chicagoland brokerages have already worked out sending listings directly in to Zillow. But this listing (from Keller Williams) this morning appears to be new, “1 minute on Zillow” and source is MRED. There are several others as well.
Did MRED back off on its threat to shut down Zillow’s IDX feed?
“The rules of this MLS exist to protect every participating broker and every consumer who relies on a complete and accurate picture of the market,” said Rebecca Jensen, President and CEO of MRED. “Those rules apply equally to every participant, regardless of the size of their audience or the reach of their platform. MRED enforces its rules consistently and fairly, and hopes that Zillow returns to operating consistent with its longstanding agreements with MRED.”
“In April 2026, MRED and Compass announced a formal partnership to expand MRED’s private listing network nationwide. It allowed Compass agents anywhere in the country to enter listings into MRED’s system — supposedly to “protect” those listings from pro-transparency platforms like Zillow. The explicit purpose was to extend MRED’s monopoly leverage far beyond the Chicago region and force competitors nationwide to abandon consumer protections.
MRED made good on the deal almost immediately. By early May 2026, MRED demanded that Zillow reinstate Compass private listings in states hundreds of miles outside MRED’s territory — listings from agents who had already been warned they were violating Zillow’s consumer standards.
The same day, the technology provider that distributes MRED’s listing feed threatened to terminate Zillow’s access entirely if it did not comply. MRED CEO Rebecca Jensen also serves as chair of that distributor’s board of managers, meaning the same person controlled both the threat and the mechanism for carrying it out.”
It’s a fight that had to happen. And it’s going to get really messy. In my estimation Compass has a lot more to lose than anyone else. Zillow has shown it can pivot. But Compass has gone all in on their 3-phased marketing strategy and that’s what’s at stake.
And at the end of the day, can anyone tell me what MRED is fighting for? What do the other members of MLS GRID think?
My main fear is that the biggest loser will be the organized real estate industry itself. Zillow in my estimation has the strongest voice to the consumer. And as the saying goes, “you don’t fight the man with the microphone.” If Zillow can successfully push the narrative that Compass is hiding listings from buyers and restricting competition, then the blow back will affect all of us.
Is anyone else afraid of checking their email nowadays? Can we all just pop a gummy and chill out for a while?
The Industry Relations Podcast is now available on your favorite podcast player!
Overview
Rob and Greg react to Cotality’s launch of BLX, a new broker-focused listing input platform that immediately sparks debate over whether it’s a defensive move against portals or “Project Upstream” all over again. They dig into broker control, MLS compliance, native Matrix integration, and whether MLSs were blindsided by the launch.
They also discuss Zillow filing suit against MRED and Compass over private listings, leading into a larger conversation about industry framing, consumer transparency, and whether Zillow has become an unofficial regulator of real estate.
Key Takeaways
Cotality launched BLX, a broker listing input and distribution platform aimed at streamlining listing management across MLSs and portals.
Rob questions whether BLX effectively bypasses MLS authority and compares it directly to Project Upstream.
Greg argues the product is more about preserving MLS relevance as brokers increasingly use portal-based listing input systems.
Debate over whether MLSs were informed ahead of the BLX launch and how major Matrix customers may react.
Discussion around broker control vs. MLS compliance rules, especially regarding listing distribution and branding.
Zillow sued MRED and Compass over private listings and alleged restriction of competition.
Rob and Greg debate Zillow’s influence over consumer perception and whether portals should be shaping
“The integration brings together two industry-aligned platforms with a shared commitment to accurate data, transparency and consumer trust. BPP, owned by brokers and MLSs, was created to deliver a national consumer home search experience powered by real-time MLS data and guided by Fair Display Guidelines. RPR, a wholly owned subsidiary of the National Association of REALTORS®, provides REALTORS® with parcel-centric property data, valuation tools, market insights and client-ready reports.
Through this collaboration, participating MLSs and associations that have partnered with BPP, may authorize the display of RVM® values within their local Cribio-powered consumer experience. RVM®permissions will be controlled by each MLS and enablement will require the appropriate authorization and permissions process between the MLS, BPP and RPR.”
I hadn’t checked out Cribio.com in a while. I have to say they’ve done a nice job with the site. Comparing their respective Listing Detail Pages (LDP) side to side with Zillow, it’s amazing to see how many pixels Zillow dedicates to their “Request a tour” button and ad for “Home Loans” product.
Without the ad space, Cribio is able to show a map of the area and a lot more information on the property.
Right now on Cribio you can search any off-market property and on the upper left of the right column you get a Zestimate button that goes to Zillow. The RVM, I’m told, will be displayed on the page (no clicking). I’ve also heard they might keep the Zestimate as is, and maybe add a third AVM — I believe Homes.com has four.
One other thing I appreciate about Cribio’s LDP is that the right column is scrollable, while the left column of property photos is static. It’s a subjective design choice, but I like it.
Will this RVM integration move the needle on consumer adoption? Probably not. But I do like to see the industry collaboration and some of the cool stuff Dan’s team is working on.
