Zillow Chicago Listings Drop After Antitrust Suit Accuses Compass of Hiding Homes

Zillow’s Chicago-area listings dropped from about 5,000 to 1,700 after the platform lost access to a private listing network following an antitrust lawsuit accusing Compass and MRED of collusion. The decline reflects Zillow’s claim that the alleged agreement hides homes from competing platforms.

On Wednesday, Zillow reported that thousands of Chicago-area homes disappeared from its site and from Trulia shortly after Zillow filed the lawsuit. The platform said it lost access when a private listing network that supplies data to many online portals stopped providing it.

The lawsuit names Midwest Real Estate Data LLC (MRED), which operates the region’s multiple listing service (MLS), and Compass, the nation’s largest residential brokerage. Zillow alleges the two companies created a private listing network (PLN) that shields certain listings from outside platforms.

A PLN lets a brokerage display homes only to its own agents or to clients who register with the brokerage, effectively placing a velvet rope around inventory. Zillow argues this arrangement blocks competitors from showing the same homes to the public.

First, Zillow’s Chicago-area inventory fell from nearly 5,000 listings to roughly 1,700 in a single day, according to the company’s internal count.

Second, Zillow’s complaint states that Compass hides its listings behind the PLN to favor its own agents and block competitors from accessing the same data.

Third, the loss of access occurred on the same day Zillow filed the antitrust suit, which accuses MRED and Compass of collusion that harms buyers, sellers, and rival platforms by limiting transparency.

Fewer visible listings on Zillow may drive home seekers to alternative sites such as Redfin or Realtor.com, which still show between 5,000 and 8,000 Chicago-area homes. If the alleged PLN arrangement stands, Compass could channel more transactions to its agents, potentially increasing dual‑agency deals where one broker represents both buyer and seller.

Conversely, a court ruling against the alleged collusion could force MRED to require full MLS participation, restoring broader access for all portals. Watch for the next hearing in the antitrust case and any regulatory response from the Federal Trade Commission or Department of Justice regarding real‑estate data sharing.