Zillow is set to acquire listings directly from NY State MLS, a multiple listing service (MLS) with more than 10,000 members that covers all 62 counties of New York state.
The deal adds the MLS to a roster of others that have joined the Zillow Partnership Program while further tightening Zillow’s strong grip on New York.
In exchange for providing listings, Zillow will offer brokers and agents who belong to the NY State MLS enhanced branding and other perks, as it does for all MLSs that join the Zillow Partnership Program.
Zillow dangles such incentives because access to MLS feeds allows it to improve the freshness of its inventory. Listing feeds from some sources don’t allow for frequent updating, but direct feeds from MLSs let Zillow refresh listings as often as every 15 minutes.
“We understand our members’ desire to display the most up-to-date listing data while maintaining maximum exposure,” said Dawn Pfaff, president of NY State MLS, in a statement. “This partnership ensures listings sent to Zillow are updated multiple times per day and kept current for prospective homebuyers.”
Listings fed to the Zillow program appear on the Zillow Real Estate Network, which includes Yahoo Homes, Google Now, HotPads, HGTV’s FrontDoor.com and AOL Real Estate.
The partnership with NY State MLS offers Zillow another leg up in New York over competitors like Trulia, building on the clout it acquired in the state last year when it acquired the popular regional listing site StreetEasy for $50 million.