Ftc Sues Zillow and Redfin
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calm
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negative
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Key topics
The FTC has sued Zillow and Redfin for allegedly suppressing competition in rental advertising through an illegal agreement, sparking a discussion on antitrust practices in the real estate industry.
Snapshot generated from the HN discussion
Discussion Activity
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25m
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1
Hour 1
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1
Key moments
- 01Story posted
Sep 30, 2025 at 5:45 PM EDT
about 2 months ago
Step 01 - 02First comment
Sep 30, 2025 at 6:10 PM EDT
25m after posting
Step 02 - 03Peak activity
1 comments in Hour 1
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Step 03 - 04Latest activity
Sep 30, 2025 at 6:10 PM EDT
about 2 months ago
Step 04
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Analyzing up to 500 comments to identify key contributors and discussion patterns
> Likely lead to higher prices and worse terms for multifamily unit advertising; and > Reduce incentives for Zillow and Redfin to compete for renters, including through investment in attracting visitors and innovation to improve user experience when searching on an ILS for a rental property.
This seems a bit inaccurate - Redfin and Zillow are both marketplaces. They are not competing on price, but on selection.
This is a weird situation because the real victim of their collusion was not consumers, but Google! Google would have pocketed nearly all of the money from an advertisement bidding war. If anything, their collusion saves money either for customers or to innovate in user experience.
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