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Everything Is Changing, Nothing Is Changing: Mike DelPrete on Google, Zillow, Rocket & What Agents Should Actually Focus On
- Wendy Forsythe
- Mar 25
- 3 min read
Mike DelPrete breaks down Google's real estate play, the Zillow/Rocket Holy Grail race, exclusive listings, and why 50% of leads go ignored. Advice for agents: compete where you can win.
What's happening in the real estate industry right now?
Everything and nothing, according to Mike DelPrete.
Mike is an industry strategist, writer, and consultant with an uncanny ability to see patterns before anyone else. He literally moves markets with his research—one article he wrote dropped Zillow's stock 9% in a single day.
In this episode, we unpack what's really happening with Compass, Zillow, Rocket, Redfin, Google, and AI—and what it all means for agents trying to build sustainable businesses.
Here's the truth: It feels like everything is changing. But the fundamentals? They're not.
What did Mike discover that dropped Zillow's stock 9%?
On a Friday night, Mike opened his phone in incognito mode and searched "homes for sale" on Google.
What he saw: Full real estate listings embedded at the top of Google—above everything else.
Actual listings. With filters for bedrooms, bathrooms, price. With agent contact info. A complete search experience right inside Google, in partnership with a company called House Canary.
Google was testing.
Mike wrote about it. The industry freaked out. Zillow's stock dropped 9% the next trading day.
Mike's prediction? A year from now, we'll probably see listings on Google. If they want to do it, they'll figure out how. And nobody involved thinks they can stop them.
Because here's the thing: If you have a home you want to sell, don't you want it on Google?
What's happening with Compass, Zillow, and exclusive listings?
Mike's take: "Private exclusives are so 2025."
He's bored with it. The battle played itself out.
Compass has about 10,000 exclusive listings (coming soon + private exclusives). Nobody's been able to stop them. Court cases haven't changed what's happening in the real world.
It's a thing. It exists. Accept it and move forward.
What about the Redfin/Rocket partnership?
The biggest signal from that deal? Redfin and Rocket are here.
Redfin was always the perennial underdog. Now, under Rocket's umbrella, they're a huge player staking out a serious position. Their press release looked like it was written by Compass—talking about seller choice, positioning themselves as major competitors.
And Rocket spends close to a billion dollars a year on advertising. That's going to create consumer awareness.
What's the "Holy Grail" race?
Zillow and Rocket both want to own the entire transaction: search → agent → mortgage → closing.
Mike shows two images when he presents on this: Indiana Jones finding the Holy Grail (romantic adventure), and Monty Python getting attacked by killer bunny rabbits (reality).
The press releases look like Indiana Jones. The past decade has been Monty Python. It's really hard to expand the value chain.
But here's the catch: Transactions are zero-sum. There are only so many deals every year. If Zillow and Rocket get more traction, someone gets less. It won't be brokerages closing—it'll be the agent down the street who did 7 deals last year and 6 this year without knowing why.
What should agents actually focus on?
Mike's advice is simple: Compete where you can win.
You don't have to compete with Zillow, Rocket, or Redfin. What can you offer that they can't?
You're in someone's living room. You get coffee with people. You build relationships. That's the last mile—and technology can't replace it.
Be great at the basics:
If someone calls you, call them back
If someone texts you, text them back
Follow up fast
Build real relationships
Because here's the opportunity: 50% of online leads still go ignored.
Every consumer is in everyone's database at this point. If you don't call them back, someone else will.
And Mike's best advice for cutting through the noise? Stop going on the internet. Seriously. Take a digital detox. Industry leaders aren't reading headlines—they're making them.
Focus on the job to be done.
Listen to the full episode here
This conversation is packed with insights you won't hear anywhere else.
Let's keep building together.
Wendy
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