When Zillow announced its new rules restricting certain private listings, one MLS was quickly thrown into the spotlight—Midwest Real Estate Data, or MRED, in the Chicago region. That’s because for almost a decade, MRED has hosted an internal private listing service—properties shared within the MLS, but not necessarily to anyone else.
While Zillow didn’t immediately say whether this system—or other similar programs—violated its rules, it appears now the portal is planning to enforce its policy in regard to these listings, even though MRED’s network seemingly complies with Clear Cooperation, which Zillow modeled its “Listing Access Standards” on.
“We have been attempting to work with them since the spring and have not yet sent listing access violations in MRED,” a Zillow spokesperson said in a statement. “This is a play for MRED to protect its own private listing network. Hidden listing schemes disadvantage sellers and buyers, and that’s what this is.”
MRED did not respond to questions about the communications with Zillow, or the deadline for Zillow’s implementation of the new rules. In a statement provided to RISMedia, MRED CEO Rebecca Jensen said the MLS had “issued a notice to our Managing Brokers after receiving reports that some had been informed their active listings may not appear on Zillow if they had previously been in MRED’s Private Listing Network.”
“We have confirmed directly with Zillow that this policy has not been implemented in MRED’s coverage area. At this time, Zillow continues to display all active listings from MRED,” Jensen said.
According to data put out by the MLS, around 30,000 listings, or 16%, were listed on MRED’s private network in 2024.
A source familiar with Zillow’s decision-making said the company was working collaboratively with MRED. The portal had made some calls to brokers focused on education and to alleviate confusion, the source said, but hadn’t sent any emails with notifications of violations. The source declined to share any timeline for when the rules would be applied to MRED as conversations continue.
The Zillow spokesperson also claimed that 30% of “potential buyers” searching in Chicago are “from outside the area,” arguing this means that a lot of buyers are missing out on listings (and sellers are missing out on buyers).
Whether Zillow’s move represents the beginning of a new front in the battle over private listings, or a small regional spat over a specific policy, is not yet clear. MRED also recently partnered with the long-suffering Broker Public Portal, ostensibly a competitor to Zillow.
Also notable, Compass CEO Robert Reffkin—the leading voice in opposition to Zillow’s approach to private listings—singled out MRED more than a year ago when he first announced his opposition to Clear Cooperation at RISMedia’s CEO & Leadership Exchange.
“(MRED CEO) Rebecca Jensen…she created a private listing system in MRED, where it has basically all the benefits of an external privacy system. Agents just love it and it’s good,” Reffkin said at the time, back in September of 2024. “It’s in the MLS, the accurate data, it goes to the closed comps—but I think that’s going to be required (in the) future.”
Compass has since sued Zillow over the new rules, claiming they were designed to explicitly target the brokerage and its private listing-focused business model. He has argued that the kind of delayed marketing the MRED system provides, which does not track metrics like days on market, is about offering sellers more choices in how to market their homes.
While Zillow has mostly aligned with the MLS industry over the last six months as it campaigns for “transparency” through making all listings available publicly, these sorts of MLS policies put Zillow in direct conflict with at least some MLSs, with at least one other offering a similar internal private listing service.
Unlock MLS, based in Austin, Texas, announced in July what it dubbed “Flex Listings,” which appear to function like MRED’s private network—shared with subscribers, but not through IDX (though they can be shared on a VOW).
Unlock MLS told RISMedia via email that it “believe(s) that Flex Listings meet Zillow’s standards.” Zillow did not immediately respond to inquiries regarding whether this program violates its rules.
As far as other private listing options at MLSs, the source close to Zillow said they were not aware of any outreach to any other MLS regarding private listing options and Zillow’s rules. The source added that other programs intended to allow limited marketing or delayed listings—like the “delayed marketing exempt” rule that the National Association of Realtors® created earlier this year—have not run afoul of Zillow’s rules, but that the company will apply the same standards regardless of the specific MLS policy as it applies the new rules.
Editor’s note: this story was updated at 2:25 p.m Eastern time to clarify comments from a Zillow source.
