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West USA Realty is the third brokerage to commit to Zillow Group’s controversial listing access standard, which bans privately marketed listings from being displayed on Zillow and Trulia.
Errol Samuelson | Photo credit: Zillow
“West USA Realty is joining others who share our belief that transparency is the foundation of a healthy real estate market,” Zillow Group Chief Development Officer Errol Samuelson said in a prepared statement.
“By joining us and many others across the industry in adopting these listing standards, they’re helping ensure that buyers, sellers, and agents have equal access to the same critical information when it matters most. This partnership strengthens our collective effort to foster a more open, competitive, and consumer-focused real estate experience in Arizona and beyond.”
West USA Realty is the largest regional brokerage in the Southwest with more than 3,000 agents across 16 offices in Arizona. West USA Realty Executive Vice President Nick Weitekamp said Zillow Group’s listing access standard, which is based on the National Association of Realtors’ (NAR) Clear Cooperation Policy (CCP), protects market transparency and enables consumers to make smart, data-driven homebuying and homeselling decisions.
“At West USA Realty, we believe that providing our clients with the most accurate and comprehensive information is essential to their success in the real estate market,” he said in a prepared statement.”By aligning with Zillow’s pro-consumer listing access standards, we’re reinforcing our responsibility to ensure sellers receive maximum visibility and reach the widest possible audience, and that buyers have a clear understanding of their choices.”
Nick Weitekamp | Credit: LinkedIn
“This commitment to transparency aligns perfectly with our promise to deliver exceptional service to both buyers and sellers alike in Arizona,” he added.
EXp Realty and NextHome were the first to commit to Zillow Group’s listing policy, which bans listings that aren’t added to the multiple listing service (MLS) within 24 hours of public marketing. The ban applies for the life of the listing, unless the seller delists — and then relists — the property under a different broker who commits to the portal’s standards.
The ban does not apply to “Coming Soon,” office exclusives, For Sale by Owner (FSBO) listings, rental listings or new construction listings sold by the builder. It also doesn’t apply to Delayed Marketing Exempt Listings, which allow homsellers to direct their broker to delay the public marketing of their listing through an IDX feed per NAR’s Multiple Listing Options for Sellers (MLOS) policy.
“EXp will always take a position that protects consumers first; that’s non-negotiable,” eXp Realty CEO Leo Pareja said on April 10, the day Zillow Group announced its ban. “We’re deeply committed to giving our clients the most transparent, comprehensive access to property listings in the market. Our new agreement with Zillow ensures that every eXp Realty listing has maximum visibility, creating a more efficient, trustworthy and open marketplace.”
EXp has since released an open-source homeseller consent form that lists the potential risks of using a private listing network (PLN) or utilizing Delayed Marketing Exempt Listings.
“Seller choice is foundational, but choice without truth is a disservice,” Pareja said of the form. “We believe the industry must lead with transparency, not tactics.”
Zillow Group plans to begin enforcing the ban in May.
