Zillow’s April 18 clarification, courtesy of Chief Industry Development Officer Errol Samuelson’s LinkedIn post, attempts to clear the air after some major industry blowback following their April 10 announcement. Zillow boldly doubled down on its shiny new “listing access standards,” insisting that any listing marketed to some buyers must be accessible to all—essentially throwing shade at the trendy rise of private listing networks. Samuelson confidently frames these standards as a noble effort to level the playing field and ensure transparency. But, just to spice things up, he also dismisses opposing views as “misinformation,” suggesting critics are merely craving the spotlight.
So, what exactly is Zillow allowing or disallowing under this supposedly big rule shift?
Listings Permitted by Zillow:
- True private listings on MLS for sellers needing genuine privacy who never plan to market online
- Office exclusives confined strictly within a brokerage, not publicly marketed
- “Coming Soon” listings, provided they’re put into the MLS for all participants to display
- “Delayed Marketing” listings that make their way into the MLS for everyone’s viewing pleasure
- For Sale By Owner (FSBO) listings
- Rental listings
- New construction listings directly sold by builders
Listings Not Permitted by Zillow:
- Listings publicly marketed selectively, hidden from some buyers.
Samuelson mentions support from consumer groups like CAARE and the Consumer Policy Center, but let’s face it: their focus is more on fair housing than Zillow’s brand positioning. The entire statement pushes a black-and-white narrative: you’re either with us (for transparency) or against us (presumably lurking in shadows).
Here’s the kicker though—Zillow’s “big” policy change may actually be more sizzle than steak. In reality, it doesn’t appear to dramatically shift how things were handled prior to April 10. “Office Exclusive” listings never showed up on Zillow anyway because they’re already excluded from MLS feeds like IDX and VOW. The National Association of Realtors’ (NAR) Clear Cooperation Policy already mandates that publicly marketed listings be entered into the MLS within one business day, essentially making Zillow’s rule more or less redundant.
The one minor tweak? If an agent publicly markets a listing but drags their feet getting it into the MLS—and later tries adding it—Zillow simply won’t display it. That’s pretty much the extent of their earth-shattering change. Still, you’ve got to hand it to Zillow: they generated some impressive buzz, most of it positive. If nothing else, their PR team deserves a round of applause. Marketing genius? Perhaps. Industry-altering policy shift? Looks more like a classic nothing burger.