Where Real Estate Gets Its Dirt

Previews, Portals, and the Shift in Listing Control

The Industry Relations Podcast is now available on your favorite podcast player!

Overview

Rob and Greg revisit the fallout from their conversation with Andy, focusing on the rapid shift toward “coming soon” and preview listings across major portals. Zillow’s move into previews—alongside Redfin and Homes.com—signals a broader industry change in how listings are marketed and distributed. The discussion centers on whether Zillow truly “changed,” what this means for MLS control, and how the definition of being “on the market” is evolving. The episode also explores whether the industry can move past moral arguments and accept these changes as business decisions. 

Key Takeaways

  • Zillow’s move into previews
    • Zillow entering “coming soon” listings is framed as solving a distribution problem rather than a full strategic reversal. 
    • Signals frustration with slow-moving MLS rules and lack of standardization.
  • Shift from moral debate to business reality
    • Industry discussion may move away from “consumer harm” arguments toward competitive strategy and market positioning. 
    • All players (Zillow, Redfin, Compass) are acting in their own business interests.
  • Fragmentation vs. consumer behavior
    • Concern about a “streaming wars” future where buyers check multiple platforms. 
    • In practice, buyers may already be using several apps simultaneously.
  • Branding matters
    • Zillow’s “Previews” is positioned as a clear, consumer-friendly product. 
    • Competing offerings are less clearly defined or branded.
  • MLS pressure and listing input risk
    • Portals accepting direct listing input (outside MLS) is a major long-term threat to MLS control. 
  • Changing definition of “on market”
    • Debate over whether “on market” means:
      • In the MLS
      • Under a listing agreement
      • Visible on portals like Zillow
    • Indicates a broader shift in how the industry conceptualizes market exposure.
  • Impact on brokerage strategies
    • Exclusive vs. non-exclusive distribution (e.g., Compass vs. eXp) may influence listing pitches. 
    • Market will determine whether sellers value broader distribution or platform-specific exposure.

Connect with Rob and Greg

Rob’s Website 

Greg’s Website 

Watch us on YouTube

Our Sponsors:

Cotality 

Notorious VIP

The Giant Steps Job Board 

Production and Editing Services by Sunbound Studios

VestaPlus [Sponsor]

MLS data isn’t perfect.
It never has been.

And when it’s off, everything downstream feels it. Pricing gets shaky. Comparables get questionable. Agents spend more time double-checking than moving deals forward.

That’s why CheckMate stands out.

VestaPlus is focused on cleaning things up, catching errors earlier and tightening data before it spreads. It’s the kind of work that sits in the background but makes everything else run better.

It’s also getting some recognition. CheckMate was recently named to the 2026 Tech100 for its approach to improving MLS data integrity, you can read more about that here:
VestaPlus’s CheckMate Software Secures 2026 Tech100 Honors

Not flashy. Just necessary.

My thanks to VestaPlus for sponsoring Vendor Alley this month.

From Fashion to PropTech: Lauren Martin on Housing and Community

The Listing Bits Podcast is now available on your favorite podcast player!

Overview

Greg Robertson is joined by Lauren Martin (RentSpree) for a wide-ranging conversation covering her unconventional path from fashion design to PropTech, the growing importance of rentals within the MLS ecosystem, and the evolution of her initiative, Renew (Real Estate Network of Empowered Women). The discussion highlights how rentals are becoming central to real estate workflows, how community-building is shaping the industry, and how Renew has scaled from a podcast idea into a multi-day retreat with strong industry engagement. 

Key Takeaways

  • Nonlinear career path into PropTech: Lauren transitioned from fashion to business and sales, eventually entering real estate through Remine and later joining RentSpree. 
  • Rentals are now essential for MLSs: Industry focus is shifting from purely home purchases to broader “housing,” with rentals playing a key role in agent-client lifecycle and long-term relationships. 
  • MLS as the “source of truth” for rentals: Standardizing rental data inside MLS systems is a major opportunity compared to fragmented platforms like Facebook, Craigslist, and Zillow. 
  • RentSpree product expansion: The new RentEdge suite adds tools to fill gaps between for-sale and rental workflows, keeping agents داخل the MLS ecosystem. 
  • Renew’s growth and impact: What started as a podcast has grown into a large community with thousands of members and events, including a 70-person retreat focused on leadership, confidence, and networking. 
  • Industry community matters: Conferences and organizations like Renew help professionals build meaningful relationships, which are key to career growth in real estate. 
  • Authenticity attracts community: Lauren emphasizes that being yourself leads to stronger, more meaningful professional and personal connections. 

Links

  • Rent the Runway (mentioned for conference attire)
  • Renew (Real Estate Network of Empowered Women) – upcoming events and information

Sponsors

Aligned Showings — MLS-owned showing software built to simplify scheduling, improve communication, and keep MLS data where it belongs.

Giant Steps Job Board – Built for organized real estate and PropTech, not generic tech bros and recruiters who don’t know what an MLS is.

Production and editing services by:

Sunbound Studios

ARMLS shows the way

ARMLS Moves to an Independent Board of Directors

“We are creating a modern governance model that supports future growth and lowers risk while staying true to our market and the needs of those who everyday make the market work for consumers.” — Matt Consalvo, CEO”

Big move. ARMLS just approved a shift to a fully independent board of directors. No brokers. No agents. No one licensed to do real estate in Arizona gets a board seat. Instead, they’re building a smaller board of outside professionals — finance, legal, strategy types — and standing up a separate advisory council so brokers and agents still have a voice on product and service decisions.

Let me say that differently: the people running ARMLS will no longer be the same people competing in the market ARMLS serves.

That’s a huge deal, and honestly, it’s overdue. Most MLS boards are still packed with local brokers who have their own businesses to protect. Finding members that can take off their broker hat is extremely difficult. That’s not a bad thing, it’s just human nature. But it makes it really hard to make tough calls on data policy, tech investment, or anything that might help the market but hurt your brokerage. ARMLS is essentially saying: we need a boardroom where nobody’s worried about their own listings. Think about that for a bit.

Board applications open in April, with a target transition of August 2026.

The advisory council is the part to watch. If it has real teeth, actual influence on product direction, and market-level decisions, this could become the governance model other MLSs start copying. If it’s a rubber-stamp listening tour… well, I’ve seen that movie before.

My hat’s off to Consalvo and the ARMLS board for having the courage to vote themselves out of the room. That doesn’t happen often.

Begun the pre-marketing wars have

The Industry Relations Podcast is now available on your favorite podcast player!

Overview

This episode features Andy Woolley (Homes.com) joining Rob and Greg to break down a wave of rapid industry changes driven by new agreements between Zillow, Compass, Redfin, and eXp. The conversation focuses on exclusive vs. non-exclusive listing deals, the rise of pre-marketing strategies, and the increasing fragmentation of listing distribution. Together, they examine how these shifts challenge the traditional role of the MLS as a broker cooperative, with ongoing debate about whether the industry is moving toward a more fragmented, lead-generation-driven ecosystem. 

Key Takeaways

  • New exclusive and non-exclusive listing agreements are accelerating fragmentation in listing distribution. 
  • Debate continues over whether these moves resemble competition or anti-competitive behavior. 
  • Pre-marketing (“coming soon”) listings are a key battleground for platforms seeking inventory outside IDX feeds. 
  • MLSs face pressure as the industry questions whether they are cooperatives or listing platforms. 
  • Much of the conflict is centered on control of lead generation rather than access to listings. 
  • Homes.com is pursuing brokerage feeds to capture pre-marketing listings, while Zillow is incentivizing participation through its Preview product. 
  • Agents use pre-marketing to control pricing strategy, days on market, and demand signals. 
  • Ongoing debate between “your listing, your lead” vs. referral-based models. 
  • Larger platforms and brokerages with data/control advantages are positioned to benefit most. 

Links

Connect with Rob and Greg

Rob’s Website 

Greg’s Website 

Watch us on YouTube

Our Sponsors:

Cotality 

Notorious VIP

The Giant Steps Job Board 

Production and Editing Services by Sunbound Studios

Kevin Hughes joins Cotality

Welcome Kevin Hughes to the Cotality Real Estate Solutions team

“Kevin is a well-known and respected MLS sales and business development veteran with a proven track record over a 30-year career focusing on leading with empathy and advancing innovative solutions that help real estate professionals operate more securely, efficiently, and productively.  “

Kevin’s contributions to the industry are well known and it’s a great story to see him back in the saddle again. Congrats to Kevin and Cotality.

VestaPlus [Sponsor]

My thanks to VestaPlus for sponsoring this month’s Vendor Alley.

VestaPlus MLS is an all-in-one MLS system. With greater mobility, flexibility, speed, and innovation than other “big MLS” vendors.

Take your association and MLS to the max. 

Customized to work the way real estate professionals work. Whether it’s desktop or mobile, with VestaPlusTM MLS, you have an intuitive MLS system that’s agent-proven and loved by consumers.

My thanks again to VestaPlus for sponsoring this month’s Vendor Alley.

And the band played on…

The Threats and Bare-Knuckle Tactics of MAGA’s Top Antitrust Fixer

“Around this time, the DOJ antitrust staff was evaluating real-estate brokerage giant Compass’s $1.6 billion acquisition of its rival, Anywhere Real Estate. Anywhere owns Century 21, Coldwell Banker, Corcoran and Sotheby’s International Realty. Compass and Anywhere were the first- and second-biggest brokerages, respectively, by volume in 2025. An acquisition would create a company accounting for more than a fifth of home-sales volume nationwide, according to Real Trends Consulting.

Compass hired Davis on the acquisition. The company wanted to avoid a “second request,” a routine part of antitrust enforcement where an agency asks for more information to evaluate whether to block or approve a deal. Slater wanted one.

Davis appealed to Blanche’s office to say that any worries could be addressed without one. Blanche’s office agreed, the people familiar with the matter said. Slater and the antitrust staff were overruled. The deal closed in January without a second request.”

Nothing to see here…move along…move along

Cotality to end Clareity conference, announces new Platinum sponsor partnership with MLS Reset.

I have some exciting news about MLS Reset. After 24 years, the Clareity Conference is coming to an end. Kevin Greene announced at Clareity26 that Cotality has entered into a multi-year agreement to become a Platinum Sponsor of MLS Reset.

Amy Gorce and I were honored to join Kevin on stage this morning in Tucson to make the announcement. The PRESTA team and Giant Steps are humbled to carry forward the spirit of what Gregg Larson and Matt Cohen built over the years.

MLS Reset will be held at the Scottsdale Plaza Resort (now the Kimpton Miralina) on February 22–24, 2027. Please visit MLSReset.com for registration and sponsorship information.

My thanks to Kevin, Devi, and the entire Cotality team.

Zillow announces revenue share program with RE/MAX, HomeServices of America, Side, and United Real Estate for coming soon listings

Zillow launches Zillow Preview to bring pre-market home listings into the open

“Revenue participation: If a qualified Zillow Preview connection results in a closed transaction through Zillow’s Preferred agent network, the listing agent may receive a share of the revenue Zillow earns from that transaction, paid through their brokerage. This fee is paid by Zillow and does not increase consumers’ or agents’ costs. As always, commissions remain negotiable between consumers and the agents representing them.”

I’m at the Clareity26 conference in Tucson and have been heads down preparing for a big announcement, so I haven’t had time to fully process the Zillow Preview news—or the other news that broke today regarding eXp. But I will.

One thing that immediately jumped out at me: Zillow is now willing to share a portion of its revenue on these coming-soon listings.

That raises a bigger question… is this a preview of a new business model for Zillow across all listings?

🤔

Sponsored By ICE