BAM Key Details: 

  • Zillow and Redfin just announced a partnership that will help home builders connect with motivated buyers on either platform. 
  • With an increase in sales for new construction homes, the two competing platforms are coming together in a way that could incentivize builders. 
  • Builders partnering with Zillow will begin to see their new listings syndicated to Redfin in the fourth quarter of 2023.

Zillow® Group and Redfin, two known competitors in the real estate industry, have formed a strategic partnership. 

This partnership aims to connect home builders with buyers on both platforms, expanding builders’ reach on Zillow and giving Redfin.com users greater access to newly built homes coming onto the market. 

Growing Popularity in New Construction

The real estate market has recently seen a notable shift toward new construction, thanks to the dwindling supply of existing homes. 

Zillow’s latest market report shows a 28% decrease in new listings in June 2023 compared to a year ago. With this limited inventory, motivated buyers are turning to new construction—June 2023 saw a 23.8% increase in sales of new single-family homes year over year. And according to a Redfin analysis, a record-high one-third share of the single family homes available to buyers were new construction. 

This partnership between Zillow and Redfin could incentivize builders to increase production—something the housing market desperately needs. 

Zillow provides a standout platform for home builders to highlight their communities and connect with potential buyers. Zillow’s Community pages, in particular, help buyers understand the benefits of a new-construction home and give home builders a place to highlight all the amenities within a new-build community. The partnership with Redfin extends this unique and valuable resource to a wider audience. It benefits home builders by expanding their reach to additional home buyers, while empowering home shoppers to make confident and informed decisions, regardless of where they choose to shop.

Owen Gehrett

Vice President and General Manager of New Construction at Zillow

Zillow and Redfin: A Strategic Partnership

This is not the first partnership between Zillow and Redfin. In May 2022, the two platforms announced that Zillow’s 3D Home tours would also be shared on Redfin. 

With this new partnership, Zillow’s new construction listings will be automatically syndicated to Redfin. Of all the real estate platforms operating in the U.S., Zillow has the largest selection of new construction communities, making it the number one choice for buyers looking for newly-built homes in their market and builders looking to connect with more home shoppers. Expanding their reach to the 50 million monthly visitors on the Redfin platform can only help facilitate those connections and put homeownership within reach for more people. 

In addition, Adam Wiener, Redfin’s president of real estate operations, says it “provides a new revenue opportunity,” if consumers use Redfin agents to close on the new construction properties. 

With buyer demand outpacing the supply of existing homes for sale, Redfin’s home-buying customers are increasingly turning to new construction. Our Zillow partnership will help our customers discover more homes that fit their criteria. This is a win-win-win for our customers, agents and the builders who advertise with Zillow, who will now reach the homebuyers on Redfin. The partnership provides a new revenue opportunity while allowing us to focus on what we do best, helping customers buy and sell homes with local Redfin agents.

Adam Wiener

Redfin's president of real estate operations

Enhanced Features for Buyers and Builders

To help buyers discover more new-construction communities, Redfin will also launch new features powered by Zillow’s Community Pages, which highlight information of importance to new construction home shoppers: 

  • Property photos
  • Community maps
  • Videos
  • Details on amenities 

Over half (53%) of new construction buyers value shared amenities like fitness centers and community rooms, according to Zillow’s 2023 New Construction Consumer Housing Trends Report. Compare this to only 24% of buyers who value the same amenities when shopping for existing homes. 

Community pages also include information on homes that are not yet move-in ready (as well as those that are), giving buyers a sneak peek into what’s coming and allowing builders to start soft-selling properties still under construction.  

Once the partnership launches, all non-MLS new construction listings on Redfin will come exclusively from Zillow. As before, though, Redfin.com users will still be able to access listings available through an MLS on their platform. 

Builders partnering with Zillow will begin to see their listings and communities syndicated to Redfin in the fourth quarter of 2023.