Google is again testing the waters in real estate search. On December 15, 2025, Zillow's shares dropped 9%+ (with some reports citing up to 11% during day trading) after news broke of an experiment displaying detailed home listings directly on Google Serps.
Mike Delprete posted extensive screen shots.
Partnering with HouseCanary's IDX site ComeHome, Google is showing property details—including photos, prices, filters (bedrooms, baths, square footage), and a "Request a tour" button—at the top of mobile searches in select U.S. markets. These curated, non-sponsored results appear for queries like "homes for sale in Austin" or "homes for sale in Chicago," linking to full property pages and agent contacts.
Obviously, the nyc and mainstreet analysts see this as a long-term threat to portals like Zillow, Realtor.com, and Homes.com, which rely heavily on traffic for lead generation and ad revenue (e.g., Zillow's Premier Agent program). Goldman Sachs noted the feature could compete directly with tried-n-true lead-gen models, while others suggest Google may monetize via ad bidding from portals—potentially raising costs for top-of-funnel traffic.
Critics like real estate consultant Victor Lund argue it redefines IDX rules, turning display agreements into ad inventory without broker consent. Still, the experiment seems to remain limited at this time with mobile-only and select markets.
This test echoes Google's AI Overviews impact on news traffic—real estate could be next. If scaled (which obviously it will be), it will reshape the housing portal landscape that has defined the last 20 years.
As the CEO and founder of Pubcon and WebmasterWorld., Brett Tabke has been instrumental in shaping the landscape of online marketing and search engine optimization. His journey in the computer industry has spanned over three decades and has made him a pioneering force behind digital evolution. Full Bio
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