Here's how you beat Zillow

Hey Brilliant Tribe,


You want to beat Zillow? 

Use their own method to beat them. Pay attention. 

In a recent podcast with Tim Ferris, the creator of Zillow, Rich Barton clearly outlined how they took over in the real estate landscape and also talked about where they are heading. I took that section of the podcast and put my thoughts into it along with an outline on how you can beat Zillow based on the same idea that Barton and crew used to penetrate the real estate world. 

How Rich Barton (Zillow creator) beat the system, in his own words. 

1. If one company (Google in his example) controls your flow of new customers, that company can, ​and eventually will, ​reach downstream into your business, take the margin you depend on, and make you a subcontractor.

2. The only durable way out is to (1) become the first place customers go on their own and (2) make yourself indispensable inside the transaction so no one can route around you.
   
   

The Zillow Playbook Or what I call “Barton’s Rule”. 

Cut reliance on gatekeepers

_{Zillow's Move: In 2006‑2010 nearly all Zillow traffic came through Google search ads. Starting in 2011 Zillow poured money into TV, radio, and national PR so consumers typed “Zillow” instead of “homes for sale” into Google.
Results for the industry: 70 %‑plus of visits now come direct or from the Zillow app, not search, giving Zillow pricing power over agents.}

Own the workflow

_{Zillow's Move: Bought or built tools that sit at every step: Dotloop (contracts), ShowingTime (showings), Bridge (MLS data feeds), Zillow Home Loans (mortgages), rental payments, Followupboss (Agent Database Management), and most recently a rule that blocks “pocket” listings unless they enter the MLS within 24 hours. The reliance on data for listings is what keeps them relevant, without this data they will lose relevance.
Results for the industry:  Agents who don’t plug into these tools lose exposure to Zillow’s audience. Zillow captures a toll at multiple points in the deal.}

Create a one‑stop “super app”

_{Zillow's Move: The consumer sees one login that handles search, financing, touring, offer paperwork, and post‑close services.
Results for the industry: Buyers and sellers start with Zillow and often never leave; agents are vendors inside Zillow’s ecosystem.}

Here’s why it works. 

Direct demand means Zillow can raise Premier Agent fees or change lead routing rules with little fear of mass defection.

Workflow control lets Zillow collect data on every action, ​price changes, showings, tour feedback, ​and use that insight to refine products faster than any single brokerage.

Policy moves like the new listing ban are framed as consumer friendly but also remove supply that doesn’t flow through Zillow systems, tightening the loop.

Here’s how you flip the script and use Barton’s Rule!
What it looks like for an individual agent or team

• _{Become the default brand
  Publish short daily market takes on Instagram/TikTok, weekly YouTube deep dives, and a monthly email that gives real numbers, not canned reports.
  Sponsor hyper‑local search terms (“Westlake Village pool homes”) with Google LSAs and push every viewer to an owned site you control, not a portal.
  Run offline “brand moments” (quarterly client events, local podcast, small‑format outdoor signage) so people remember your name before they remember “Zillow.”}

• _{Own the workflow
  Give prospects a single link that handles search (IDX on your site), chat with an agent, financing pre‑qual through a preferred lender, and e‑sign offers, ​all under your domain.
  After closing, keep them in a private “home hub”: equity tracker, maintenance calendar, vetted vendor directory, yearly property‑tax check‑up.
  Tie every touch point to your CRM so you never need to rent the relationship back from a portal.}
  

Start Now

^{Audit lead dependence. If more than 25 % of new clients come from any one platform, set a 90‑day goal to cut that share in half by ramping up two other channels.}

• ^{Launch a micro media property. Pick one niche (e.g., “Ventura County mid‑century homes”) and own it with weekly video tours and a matching email digest.
  Build a lightweight “mini‑super‑app.” Tools like Lofty or an AgentFire Website with IDX can embed search, chat, and scheduling inside your site in a weekend. Pair it with SkySlope for contracts so clients never leave your environment.
  Package post close care. Use companies like InHere, brand a “5‑Year Home Check‑Up” program, annual equity review, free CMA, vendor coupons, ​delivered through a private client portal.}

• ^{Form a local data cooperative. Partner with two or three non competing agents to pool listing videos, 3D scans, and neighborhood stats. Publish on a shared microsite so Google ranks you, not the portals, ​for long‑tail searches.}

Remember, Zillow didn’t steal business by secret algorithm. It did the boring, disciplined work of becoming the first name consumers think of and the rails professionals have to ride. Real estate agents who copy that playbook, at the neighborhood level, won’t need to buy their own leads back. They’ll own the relationship end‑to‑end, which is exactly the leverage Rich Barton used in reverse.

The Tim Ferris Show: Podcast #806 

Excerpt Section - 1 Hour and 17 Minutes