Let’s stop pretending this is about fairness.
Zillow’s newly announced listing policy—set to take effect this May—claims to support the National Association of REALTORS®’ (NAR) Clear Cooperation Policy (CCP). But make no mistake: this isn’t about creating an equitable marketplace. It’s about Zillow asserting control over agents, sellers and the way homes are marketed.
Under Zillow’s new policy, if a property is listed in the MLS but the seller delays syndicating that listing to the IDX feed (a legal and recently clarified choice under NAR’s latest rules), that listing will be permanently banned from Zillow. No grace period. No second chances.
Let that sink in.
Even if you’re following the new NAR guidelines to the letter, Zillow is essentially saying: “Delay IDX? You’re out.”
A Clear Cooperation problem wrapped in a bigger one
To understand why this is so troubling, we have to take a step back. The real problem didn’t start with Zillow. It started with the Clear Cooperation Policy itself—a rule that has drawn sharp criticism from agents and brokers since its inception.
Despite its name, the CCP did more to confuse cooperation than to clarify it. While the recent NAR update attempts to soften the impact by allowing delayed IDX syndication, it’s still built on a flawed foundation that limits agent and seller autonomy.
Zillow’s response to this already-problematic rule? Double down. Enforce it even more stringently than NAR. And punish agents and homeowners who take advantage of the very flexibility NAR just introduced.
Zillow isn’t supporting CCP—it’s weaponizing it
Let’s be blunt: this policy isn’t about fairness. It’s a power flex.
Zillow has no obligation to enforce CCP policies. They’re not a trade association. They’re not the MLS. And yet they’re choosing to enforce their own version of compliance—one that goes even further than NAR. That’s not support. That’s retaliation.
Zillow is sending a message: “We don’t like this policy, and if you use it, we’ll make sure your listings disappear.”
That’s not consumer advocacy. It’s gatekeeping.
Why this should alarm every agent
If a seller and their agent choose to delay IDX syndication for strategic reasons—to prepare marketing materials, stage the home, etc.—that should be their right. NAR’s recent policy confirmed that.
Zillow disagrees.
And in doing so, they’re not just undermining agent discretion. They’re openly challenging the idea that listings can live—even briefly—outside their ecosystem. That’s the real threat: if agents prove they don’t need Zillow, even temporarily, it chips away at the illusion that Zillow is essential to the process.
That illusion is what Zillow has built its business on—and they’re doing everything they can to protect it.
We’ve seen this before
Tech companies that grow too powerful tend to follow a pattern. First, they support the industry. Then, they disrupt it. Then, they start making the rules. And finally, they begin replacing the very professionals they once claimed to empower.
Zillow is deep into phase four.
They’ve acquired ShowingTime and Dotloop. They’ve entered mortgage and title. They flirted with iBuying. And they even tested having salaried agents handle transactions directly.
Need more proof? Just look at Zillow’s 2023 lawsuit against MLSs that created their own scheduling tools rather than defaulting to ShowingTime. Zillow called it anti-competitive. But the message was clear: “Use our tools—or we’ll fight you.”
This latest listing policy is just another move in the same playbook.
The real estate industry doesn’t belong to Zillow
Rich Barton, Zillow’s co-founder, is also the man who helped disrupt the travel agent industry through Expedia. The parallels aren’t accidental—they’re strategic.
Zillow’s long-term goal isn’t to coexist with agents. It’s to replace them. Or at the very least, to become the gatekeeper of every step of the transaction.
And that’s why this matters.
This policy isn’t about one listing. It’s about an ongoing effort to control how homes are marketed, who gets to market them and which tools they’re allowed to use.
So what now?
Agents and brokers can’t afford to sit this one out. The time to push back is now—before policies like these become the new norm.
What can you do?
- Educate sellers about the value you bring—and the risks of letting platforms dictate their options.
- Choose vendors and tech partners that support your role, not threaten it.
- Speak up in your associations and MLS boards. Don’t let these decisions be made behind closed doors.
- Collaborate with professionals who share your vision for client-first, agent-driven real estate.
This isn’t just about syndication. It’s about sovereignty—yours and your clients’.
Zillow may think they own the future of real estate. But the people who actually do the work—the agents and brokers on the ground—still have the power to decide what comes next.
Just don’t give that power away.
For more information, visit https://darrylspeaks.com/.
