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MRED Blog
REinventing MLS
MRED Protecting IDX
Posted by on August 21, 2026
Reaching Higher. Protecting What Matters.
Broker cooperation has always been the foundation of the MLS. But cooperation only works when everyone plays by the same rules.
When a powerful company challenges the rules of the cooperative marketplace, MRED does not simply make a deal or look the other way. It stands its ground. In May, MRED suspended Zillow’s access to IDX and VOW data feeds after Zillow violated Objective Criteria rules by banning listings from their site until the seller fired the listing brokerage and agent. This was after months of communications with Zillow, telling them why banning listings in this way violates our rules. Rules that have been in place for decades, as a part of the 2008 DOJ settlement.
That courage matters. Large companies can use their size and influence to make others reluctant to challenge them. MRED believes its responsibility as the referee of the marketplace is bigger than any individual company. This protection ensures all your members can fully leverage the incredible collection of properties to generate business opportunities.
One of MRED’s core values is Data Caretaking, and we take our responsibility seriously to guard MLS data use and distribution. MRED’s principle is simple: work fairly with your fellow brokers, honor the agreements you sign, and MRED will do everything possible to help you succeed. Break those agreements, and MRED will act to protect the best interests of all Participants.
By defending consistent enforcement, MRED is protecting something much larger than a contract: the cooperative online marketing ecosystem that gives brokerages of every size the opportunity to compete, support consumers, and reach higher.
Is History Trying to Repeat Itself?
Posted by on August 13, 2026
The real estate industry has been here before.
In 2008, the U.S. Department of Justice reached a landmark settlement with the National Association of REALTORS® after challenging rules it believed disadvantaged Internet-based brokerage models. A critical principle emerged: brokers should be treated consistently regardless of business model, and MLS cooperation should not favor one competitor over another.
MRED believes the position Zillow is taking in its lawsuit threatens that principle. At issue is whether Zillow should be able to decide which MLS listings it will display using criteria that conflict with MRED’s data licensing agreement. If Zillow can receive an MLS feed and arbitrarily exclude certain listings, what prevents every brokerage from doing the same?
One broker could exclude a competitor’s listings. Another could reject listings based on marketing strategy. Soon, the comprehensive, cooperative marketplace consumers rely on will fracture.
This case is about much more than Zillow. MRED believes its job as market “referee” is to defend fair broker cooperation and the integrity of the IDX Data Licensing Agreement signed by cooperating brokers.
If that foundation unravels, the industry could invite the same type of DOJ scrutiny the 2008 settlement sought to resolve.
History may be trying to repeat itself.
We are hopeful the courts will recognize what’s at risk by arbitrarily allowing one brokerage to dictate listing display terms serving the needs of their own website to the detriment of homesellers who have chosen their own marketing path.
NEW: Avoid lost listing input progress with Recover Changes
Posted by on June 9, 2026
We know your time is valuable, and re-entering listing details is the last thing you want to worry about.
That’s why we added a “Recover Changes” feature to the connectMLS listing input process. This helps keep your work moving, even if you have to step away.
Here’s how it works:
If you exit a listing without saving, or your session times out before your changes are saved, you will see a pop-up when returning to your listing with two options:
- Restore Changes – Jump right back in and continue where you left off
- Discard Changes – Start fresh with a clean slate
This feature helps ensure your progress isn’t lost, giving you more flexibility and peace of mind while working on your listings.
If you have any questions or need a hand, our Help Desk team is here for you:
Phone: 630-955-2755
Email: help.desk@mredllc.com
Turn off price history or days on market
Posted by on April 29, 2026
New tools to help your seller are available in connectMLS. You can now disable market time and/or price history from displaying on third-party websites for your individual listings. All listing data will remain intact and viewable within the MLS. Your listing; your way.
This change will take place on all 5,000+ third-party websites that pull data from MRED. Realtor.com is the last major website still working on enacting this update, expected to be done in mid-to-late May.
At the direction of your seller, these new options are available on a listing-by-listing basis and only impacts display on third-party websites that use MLS data. Options include:
- Disable display of price change history
- Disable display of market time
- Disable display of automated price estimates (Automated Valuation Models/AVM)
- Disable display of Private listings on password-protected agent-client sites (also known as virtual office websites/VOWs)
These choices provide you and your seller more tools to tailor your marketing strategy and can be used on listings at any time.
Where to Set These Options:
These settings are part of the listing input process. Here’s how to update them:
- Go to Add/Edit in connectMLS
- Open Edit Listing Details and the Media tab
- Select Yes or No for each option
As part of these changes, you’ll notice a redesigned media tab in connectMLS. Here’s an explanation of those changes.
Important to Know:
These selections only affect how the listing appears on third-party public portals and brokerage websites. They do not change what you or other MRED subscribers see inside the MLS (connectMLS, Paragon, or Zenlist).
Need help? Email help.desk@mredllc.com
Have suggestions? Send them to suggestions@mredllc.com
MRED’s response to Zillow Attack on PLN
Posted by on November 23, 2025
“Portals broadly want to protect their access to listings.”
Zillow created a strategy document in December of 2024. This “highly confidential” 30-page document recently made public from Zillow’s legal battle with Compass details how Zillow could mitigate “the erosion of traffic and eventually revenue”, which resulted from MLSs using private listing networks.
Zillow decided its strategy could be “more aggressive with hardline tactics to keep ALL listings in IDX, on Zillow”. One of the “hardline tactics” was to “Mobilize local and national organizations to publicly warn brokers and agents on the fair housing risks of reduced access to real estate information.”
Given this context, it is not surprising that Zillow conducted a one-day study in the Chicagoland market that attacks MRED’s Private Listing Network (PLN).
MRED takes Fair Housing very seriously, with rules and processes in place to scan all private and active listings for violations. We also believe that any bad actors deserve all consequences, professionally and legally, that come to them. Notably, Zillow’s strategy document does not explicitly mention protecting Fair Housing principles, outside of using as a tactic in its “Model Market Playbook”.
MRED launched the PLN in 2016 to make all properties available to all agents and brokerages across the market. We want to prevent the use of shadow networks off the MLS that could lead to discrimination and exclusion. As a contrast, Zillow wants “to punish the agent for choosing to put their listings on alternate networks” like MRED’s PLN. We are proud of the steps we have taken to support all business models in our MLS to work together.
“Every real estate professional has access to MRED’s private listing network,” said Cecelia Marlow (President of Dearborn Realtists, a Chicago association for Black real estate professionals that dates to 1941, via Crain’s, November 21st 2025).
MRED relies heavily on data. We reached out to Zillow for the specifics behind its methodology and have not received it yet. We feel it is important to note that:
- There are three times as many active listings in majority white zip codes as non-white zip codes.
- iBuyers and institutional investing heavily target non-white majority neighborhoods, which once purchased become rentals.
- Zillow’s study does not seem to account for other factors, such as rentals and off MLS transactions (including their own For Sale By Owner properties).
In an MIT study about iBuying, it was noted that “Seller vulnerability could play a role, as homeowners in these communities may be more likely to accept below-market offers due to financial strain, lack of savings for repairs, or the need for immediate liquidity.”
In our opinion, Zillow’s approach in Illinois and its recent criticism of MRED’s PLN appears to be driven less by data and more by a cynical strategic objective: securing control over listing distribution to protect its revenue. Their criticism of MRED’s PLN does not seem to be about protecting consumers or advancing fair housing. It appears to be part of a broader strategy to secure complete control of listing distribution and undermine the cooperative foundation of MRED.
MRED was built to safeguard open access, prevent discrimination, and ensure that every brokerage, large and small, can compete on equal footing. Our PLN was created to prevent exclusionary shadow markets, not enable them. Our ongoing monitoring, compliance systems, and rules reflect our commitment.
Fraud Alert: Don’t Click the Wrong Zoom Link
Posted by on November 7, 2025
Scammers are targeting real estate professionals through fake Zoom invites. They pose as out-of-town buyers, request meetings, and send links that look legitimate—but one click can expose your login credentials and compromise your business.
These fake meeting links can install malware, steal data, and grant unauthorized access to your professional accounts.
MRED is committed to keeping subscribers informed and safeguarding their interests. Our goal is to ensure you always have the tools, information, and awareness to recognize digital threats before they impact your business.
You can stop scammers before they start. Here’s how:
- Verify the sender’s email. Only open invites from verified business addresses.
- Hover before you click. Legitimate Zoom links come from zoom.us or zoom.com.
- Avoid vague or urgent messages. Scammers rely on pressure and fear.
- Use your Zoom app directly. Enter the meeting ID instead of clicking links in emails.
- Delete suspicious downloads. If an email tells you to install “new Zoom software,” it’s a red flag.
By staying alert and informed, you protect more than just your login credentials—you’re safeguarding your business, your clients’ trust, and your data security.
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