New deal gives Zillow ‘uninterrupted’ access to Realtracs feed
The portal said its Listing Access Standards, which were at the heart of its conflict with the Tennessee-based MLS, “remain in full effect” in the region.
More than two months after threatening to suspend Zillow's access to its data feed, Realtracs said it has reached a new licensing deal with the home search giant.
The agreement gives Zillow "uninterrupted" access to the Tennessee-based MLS's listing feed, according to Realtracs' Aug. 5 announcement.
Details of the deal: In a blog post, Realtracs outlined four "important improvements" in the new licensing deal, which it said will benefit brokers and agents. These include boosting data reporting, retaining access to Zillow-powered tech, the establishment of AI guardrails and clearly defined how Realtracs data can be used.
The MLS said the agreement creates new standards "that better reflect how listing data is created, protected, and used in today's real estate industry."
In a blog post of its own, Zillow said "buyers, sellers and agents win" with the new agreement, which "is rooted in a shared commitment to listing transparency and broad market access."
Following Realtracs' 'guiding principles': In a statement, Realtracs President and CEO Stuart White said the MLS "is committed to the brokers and agents who create the listing content that powers our industry, and at its core our property listing platform must do two things well: provide complete and accurate information so buyers can make informed decisions and give sellers the ability to choose how broadly a listing is marketed."
Realtracs is "pleased that Zillow has signed our modernized license agreement," White added, "which furthers those guiding principles by establishing clearly defined use rights, responsible use standards, and stronger protections for broker-created data while preserving sellers' ability to reach the broad audience they expect when marketing their homes."
How we got here: In late May, Realtracs claimed Zillow's Listing Access Standards (LAS), which ban listings that are publicly marketed but not widely available to consumers, violated its updated IDX display rules. Realtrac's new rules were announced shortly before the MLS expanded its services nationwide in April.
Zillow was initially given until May 31 to comply with the updated rules or risk having its data feed cut, but Realtracs extended the deadline, citing "productive and progressive talks" with Zillow and other search portals.
A few weeks earlier, Midwest Real Estate Data (MRED) made similar claims about Zillow in Chicagoland, threatening to suspend the portal's feed on May 19 — a threat it made good on, temporarily cutting Zillow's feed until a court ordered that it be reinstated.
The Chicago MLS and Compass are currently litigating a complaint filed by Zillow over listing policies.
What about Zillow's LAS? The portal's standards for listings "remain in full effect across the Nashville region" and "were not modified as part of this agreement," Zillow's blog post said.
Realtracs further clarified in its blog that the portal will tell the MLS "at the same time" an agent receives a warning that they are in violation of the LAS.
"This provides greater transparency into those situations and gives Realtracs the information needed to work directly with brokers and agents to ensure healthy cooperation," the MLS said.