How Zillow’s pre-marketing move shifts the competitive landscape
The winners? Zillow and its launch partners, who gain a recruiting advantage. The losers? Small independents — and MLSs, who should see this as a wake-up call.
March 18, 2026
Russ Cofano
Russ Cofano is the co-founder and principal of Alloy Advisors. He has more than 30 years of senior leadership experience in nearly all facets of the real estate industry, including brokerage, technology, MLS, associations and affiliated businesses. Previous roles include president and general counsel of eXp World Holdings, SVP of industry relations at Move, Inc., VP and general counsel at John L. Scott Real Estate and CEO of Missouri Realtors.
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- Industry Decoded: It’s time for mandatory buyer agreementsThe best way to protect consumers and raise the bar for the entire industry? Require buyer agency agreements across the board.January 24, 2024
- Don’t believe the doomsayers — buyer agency is here to stayFollowing the Sitzer/Burnett verdict, the internet has been buzzing about the end of buyer agency. Industry expert Russ Cofano says that's just a lot of noise.November 4, 2023
- Industry Decoded: Why MLSs should think differently about dataThe value prop of MLSs as data aggregation organizations could be industry-changing. But like in "Moneyball," they'll need to play the game differently.May 25, 2023
- Industry Decoded: Commissions lawsuits could give portals an edgeThe outcome of the Moehrl suit could affect countless buyer agents. Might Zillow and other portals become an Uber-style marketplace for those agents?April 13, 2023
- Industry Decoded: The answer to brokerage growth? It’s no longer 'add agents'Realtor membership went up a stunning 60% over the past decade, but declines are coming. It's time to talk about how to support the agents who stick around.March 20, 2023
