NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Nashville-area home listings could go dark on Zillow as soon as Monday, June 8, as a dispute between the region's real estate database and the popular home search website remains unresolved.
Realtracs, the database where Nashville-area real estate agents input home listing information, and Zillow are at odds over data access and how that information is shared.
Franklin realtor Kate Goeringer is preparing to list a home off Blackwell Lane. While the for-sale sign is going up outside, there is a chance the listing may not appear on one of the most popular online home search sites come June 8.
"Realtracs is trying to protect us and that information so it's not just taken and sold out to third parties to the highest bidder," Goeringer said.
Goeringer said realtors work hard to input home information into the database with the goal of making a sale. She said Realtracs gives realtors and sellers a choice in how to market a home — a flexibility she values.
"We have a lot of celebrities here in Nashville and famous people who may not want it online," Goeringer said.
"I understand that we need to stand up for our data information and I'm a little concerned about the reach that Zillow was having and the monopoly that's growing very quickly," Goeringer said.
Zillow's chief economist Mischa Fisher argues the listings should not be exclusive and that both buyers and sellers benefit from having access to all available information.
"Zillow's position is that buyers and sellers both benefit when they have all the information available to them and all the choices available to them," Fisher said. "Zillow is fighting for the consumers' complete access to all listings as a buyer and they're selling for the best price for sellers."
"It seems like Zillow is becoming the Amazon of the real estate market," Lagrotta said.
Gerry Lagrotta is preparing to put his home on the market and said he wants as much exposure as possible.
"I think it's important to get the exposure," Lagrotta said. "I'm ready to move onto something else."
The dispute will not affect other online home search platforms. Redfin and Homes.com have both agreed to Realtracs' new policy. Zillow has not.
If the Zillow feed goes dark Monday, sellers can still request a workaround to have their home listed on the platform. Zillow said it does not know how many listings could be impacted.
Nashville is not the first market where this conflict has played out. A similar dispute occurred in Chicago, where a judge recently ordered that Zillow's access to that database be restored.
Do you have more information about this story? You can email me at Amanda.Roberts@NewsChannel5.com
This story was reported on-air by Amanda Roberts and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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