Zillow’s expanding “super-app” raises antitrust alarms over housing market control
Zillow has broadened its platform to include early-access listings and mortgage services, prompting calls for antitrust review.
Zillow’s recent launch of Zillow Preview gives the firm first look at new home listings, backed by major brokerages such as Keller Williams and RE/MAX, which together cover roughly a third of the market. The service excludes competitors like Homes.com and Redfin, creating an exclusive-dealing dynamic. When a Preview home sells through Zillow’s Preferred Agent network, the listing agent receives a 10% share of the buyer’s commission, a rate set by Zillow.
The company has also sued MLS operators, including Midwest Real Estate Data and Compass, alleging they blocked its access to listings. Industry observers warn that the combination of exclusive listings, commission sharing, and aggressive litigation could let Zillow dominate the housing-search ecosystem and steer borrowers toward its own mortgage products, raising serious antitrust concerns. Regulators such as the FTC and state attorneys general are urged to examine whether these practices foreclose competition and increase costs for homebuyers.
Why it matters
Zillow’s growing control over listings and financing could limit competition and raise home-buyer costs.
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