Zillow’s Listing Access Standards: What Agents Need to Know

May 28, 2025
|In Uncategorized
|By Corin Clement

Zillow is rolling out new Listing Access Standards to increase fairness, transparency, and market competitiveness by ensuring all publicly marketed listings are visible to all buyers. This initiative is based on the principle that if a listing is marketed to some, it should be marketed to all—and reflects Zillow’s implementation of NAR’s Clear Cooperation Policy.

🔑 Key Requirements

  • Public listings must be entered into the MLS within one business day of marketing and be accessible via IDX/VOW feeds (including Zillow and Trulia).

  • Applies to exclusive for-sale listings (not builder inventory, FSBOs, or rentals).

  • Listings that do not meet these standards will not appear on Zillow/Trulia for the life of the listing agreement.

✅ What’s Allowed

  • Office exclusives (with seller consent and no public marketing).

  • “Coming soon” listings shared in the MLS and available via feeds.

  • Private sneak peeks (no address, price, or calls to action) on social or email.

🚫 What’s Not Allowed

  • Public marketing (signs, websites, open houses, social media, etc.) without MLS entry within one business day.

  • Sharing listings only with select buyers, creating unfair access.

  • Posts or ads with listing details and selective calls to action.

📅 Rollout Timeline

  • May 28: Agents begin receiving non-compliance notifications.

  • June 30: Blocking begins—on an agent’s third violation, that and future non-compliant listings will be blocked on Zillow/Trulia.

🧾 For Private Sellers

Sellers can keep listings off-market only if they:

  • Sign a written waiver acknowledging tradeoffs.

  • Avoid any form of public marketing.

  • Limit communication strictly to 1:1 within the brokerage.

💡 Why It Matters

  • For agents: Helps deliver maximum exposure and compliance.

  • For sellers: Wider reach typically means faster sales and better prices, especially in communities of color.

  • For buyers: Increases trust and access to all available listings.

Source: Zillow’s Listing Access Standards: What Agents Need to Know