Did Zillow really offer Compass up to $1.6 BILLION a year if they'd let Zillow help "double-end" pre-marketed listings? In Episode 343 of tWiRE, we break down Robert Reffkin's viral post, what that alleged offer actually was, and what it says about portals, power, and who really controls the consumer relationship in today's real estate market.

Then we zoom out to everything shaking the 2025 housing market this week: Zillow quietly scrubbing climate-risk scores from listings, new pushes for referral-fee transparency, and fresh affordability data showing just how hard it is to rent or buy on a normal income.

In this episode, we cover:

Compass vs. Zillow

Reffkin's claim that Zillow dangled a $1.3–$1.6B "revenue uplift" if Compass let the portal route every buyer to a Compass buyer's agent on pre-marketed listings.

Why Compass says it walked away, what this means for double-ending deals, and how real estate agents should talk about this with their own buyers and sellers.

Zillow pulls climate data

Why climate-risk scores vanished from listings.

MLS complaints about accuracy versus buyers' right to know about flood, fire, and heat risk.

What this change means for consumer trust, disclosure, and liability going forward.

Referral fees and fine print

How the California Association of Realtors is rewriting forms to spotlight referral fees after NAR's failed vote.

Why big brokerages are rolling out their own enhanced referral-fee disclosures anyway, and what smart agents should be doing now.

Affordability crisis check-in

New numbers showing the typical retail worker earns tens of thousands less than they need to afford the typical apartment.

A construction labor crunch that is driving up costs, slowing new-home delivery, and deepening the housing affordability crisis.

How labor, regulation, and rent burdens are colliding to keep housing out of reach for many renters and first-time buyers.

Prices, new construction, and buyer regret

Zillow data showing record-level price cuts and what that really means for sellers who still want "spring 2022 money."

New-construction's price premium dropping to a record-low 10.2% and why builders are suddenly some of the most motivated sellers in the market.

Buyer's remorse falling sharply as days on market stretch, contingencies come back, and buyers get more time to think.

Contracts, cancellations, and mortgage rates

About 15% of October home-purchase contracts falling through and where cancellations are clustering.

Mortgage rates finally ticking lower, why demand barely moved, and what to watch as markets react to the next round of economic news.

Whether you're an agent, buyer, seller, or real estate investor, this episode is all about power and pressure in today's market: who controls the listings, who controls the fees, and who is getting squeezed on the ground.

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