Top portals forge new partnership with enhanced listings
Zillow will share 3D Home tours, interactive floor plans and other listing features with Realtor.com beginning in 2025, part of a larger focus on collaboration.
The top two home search portals are continuing to play nice, focusing on collaboration rather than battling it out over site traffic.
On Oct. 22, Zillow announced an agreement to begin sharing 3D Home tours, interactive floor plans and photos with Realtor.com. This will allow real estate agents to include the virtual content on both sites, which, Zillow says, helps buyers narrow down their options and only tour homes they're serious about.
"When shoppers have more information, they can make better decisions. We think that's a good thing no matter where shoppers are looking," said Cynthia Taylor, vice president of product at Zillow.
The integration of Zillow's interactive media "raises the bar" for Realtor.com's home search experience, said Angela Lu, vice president of corporate and business development for Realtor.com. "We're empowering agents to better showcase their sellers' properties while giving homebuyers a more immersive, informed way to explore homes — it's a win-win for everyone," Lu said.
The automatic syndication of Zillow 3D Home tours and floor plans to Realtor.com will go live in 2025, according to the announcement.
Collaboration creates 'better real estate experiences': The latest agreement is the second partnership announced this year between the two portal companies, which have consistently ranked No. 1 and 2 in home search traffic. In March, Zillow said it would begin syndicating apartment listings to Realtor.com and be the exclusive provider of multifamily listings.
A Zillow spokesperson told Real Estate News that the company is focused on providing great consumer experiences, and "one way we do this is by collaborating with other companies to provide technology and product solutions that benefit buyers, sellers, and agents," adding that the partnership with Realtor.com "underscores our commitment to sharing our technology with the industry to create better real estate experiences for all."
'A rising digital tide': Zillow CEO Jeremy Wacksman and Co-founder (and former CEO) Rich Barton touched on that commitment in August when explaining the company's strategy of being "open" with its tech.
Greater access to technology is good for the industry and consumers alike, Barton told Real Estate News at the time. "We didn't buy Follow Up Boss and ShowingTime and build 3D Home so that we could keep it for ourselves inside the walled garden. We did it to digitize the whole of the industry because we believe a rising digital tide lifts all boats — including ours — but most importantly, consumers win," Barton said.
Zillow and Realtor.com have also come together in support of more philosophical issues, with Barton praising Realtor.com CEO Damien Eales' push to educate consumers about the importance of buyer agency in the weeks following the NAR settlement.