Zillow looks to bypass MRED with direct feed
In the wake of alleged threats by the Chicago-area MLS to cut off listing feed access, Zillow sued MRED and is now pitching a listing alternative to brokers.
Zillow has been at odds with Midwest Real Estate Data (MRED), a Chicago-area MLS that offers its own private listing network, since the portal launched new listing access standards in April 2025.
Those standards — which bar listings that have been selectively marketed — have prevented Compass, for one, from displaying listings on Zillow if they originated as brokerage "exclusives."
MRED threatens to pull the plug: While Zillow began enforcing the policy last June, it has not been blocking listings in MRED's coverage area, despite harsh criticism of the MLS over its PLN, which Zillow has referred to as "digital redlining."
Why? According to a lawsuit filed by Zillow against Compass and MRED on May 12, MRED (via MLS Grid, which distributes MRED's listing feed) had threatened to terminate Zillow's access to the feed if it did not reinstate previously banned Compass listings.
The stakes became even higher following MRED's announcement last month that it was opening MLS access to agents nationwide, with Compass signing on as its first brokerage partner.
Zillow reaches out to brokers: A Chicago-area agent shared an email with Real Estate News, sent by Zillow on May 13, stating that "MRED has signaled that it will stop syndicating listings to Zillow in the coming days."
The search portal warned that "if your brokerage does not have a direct feed to Zillow, your sellers' listings will disappear from the platform with the largest online audience of home shoppers."
Zillow included a link to a newly created page with instructions for designated managing brokers to set up a direct feed to the home search site through MLS Grid.
"If there is a disruption to the IDX data feed to Zillow, a portion of local-area homes would disappear from where most buyers look for homes," the webpage reads. "Ensure listings stay on Zillow Group websites with a PDAP (Participant Data Access Policy) feed to display your for-sale, rental and off-market properties."
What Zillow had to say: When reached for comment, a Zillow spokesperson said, "We are, of course, communicating with brokers and helping them ensure their listings are on Zillow in the event MRED stops syndicating. Sellers overwhelmingly choose the broadest possible audience to showcase their listings, because study after study — and basic economics and common sense — show that results in the best outcomes."
The spokesperson did not indicate if there was a specific timeline for possible syndication loss.
Real Estate News has also reached out to MRED for more details on the syndication issue.