Zillow could lose access to listing data from one of the fastest-growing MLSs in the country in a week.
Realtracs is a Nashville-based MLS serving more than 19,000 real estate professionals. Today, it announced it is keeping its listing feed to Zillow live through June 8, despite Zillow missing the May 31 deadline to comply with updated IDX display rules.
Zillow is currently the only platform receiving the Realtracs feed that hasn’t met the new requirements. If the two sides can’t reach a new licensing agreement before that deadline, the feed goes dark.
In a statement, Stuart White, president and CEO of Realtracs, said:
“Our responsibility is to the brokers, agents, and clients we serve, not to any particular business model. That means protecting seller choice, recognizing the value of broker-created listing content, and providing a platform that encourages cooperation while preserving flexibility and opportunity for everyone involved in a transaction.”
Here’s what’s happening and what agents need to know before June 8.
How We Got Here
On April 29, Realtracs updated its IDX display rules, which took effect on May 13. The MLS alerted all of its data recipients that if a seller wants a listing publicly marketed, it has to show up in search results matching a buyer’s criteria on every platform receiving the Realtracs feed.
Zillow is the only platform that did not meet the May 31 deadline set by Realtracs. The portal cited an internal policy that Realtracs says has resulted in dozens of listings being suppressed on Zillow’s platform.
Realtracs isn’t the only MLS that’s been here recently. In mid-May, Midwest Real Estate Data (MRED) suspended Zillow’s listing feed over what it called a material breach of its license agreements.
Zillow went to a Chicago federal court and partially won a temporary restraining order two days later, forcing MRED to restore the feed. That case is still playing out as part of a broader legal dispute in which Zillow has accused MRED and Compass of colluding.
Both MRED and Realtracs have separately announced plans to expand nationally. Each secured listing feed agreements with Compass, and Realtracs also locked in an agreement with United Real Estate.
What Agents Need to Know Right Now
At the center of the dispute is a question the industry keeps circling back to: who owns listing data, and what’s it worth?
Realtracs is pushing for broker compensation as part of any new deal, arguing that the platforms profiting from listing content should be recognizing the value of the agents and brokers who create it.
The Realtracs feed to Zillow stays live through June 8 while negotiations continue. If no agreement is reached by then, the feed terminates.
Here’s what agents in the Realtracs footprint should know:
- Zillow is currently suppressing dozens of Realtracs listings due to its own internal policy
- The current Realtracs–Zillow license expires June 8
- If the license lapses, brokers can still get listings onto Zillow through GRID’s Broker Only Export program, which runs independently of the Realtracs–Zillow agreement
- Realtracs serves more than 19,000 real estate professionals across six states, so the footprint of any feed termination is significant
With multiple MLSs now pushing back on Zillow’s listing policies and expanding their national footprints, June 8 is just the next date on a timeline that’s been building for months.
Stay tuned for more when the deadline hits.
