Business
Chicago shows how private listings can reinforce segregation in housing - and it's a warning for the nation
Homes in majority-white neighborhoods across Chicagoland are more than twice as likely to be listed out of public view than homes in neighborhoods with a larger share of non-white residents, a new Zillow® analysis shows.
About this update from Zillow Group, Inc.
[{"type":"text","content":"The impact of Chicago's long-running private listing network serves as a warning as some push hidden listing inventory nationwide that threatens fair housing","length":161,"tagName":"p","attribs":{}},{"type":"text","content":"SEATTLE, Nov. 20, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Homes in majority-white neighborhoods across Chicagoland are more than twice as likely to be listed out of public view than homes in neighborhoods with a larger share of non-white residents, a new Zillow® analysis shows.","length":259,"tagName":"p"},{"type":"image","alt":"Zillow logo (PRNewsfoto/Zillow Group)","displaySize":"","headline":null,"caption":"Zillow logo (PRNewsfoto/Zillow Group)","className":"","disableSlideshowImg":false,"size":{"original":{"width":400,"height":84,"url":"https://media.zenfs.com/en/prnewswire.com/28b6128b4340bef9d2e4b38d1115ff50"},"resized":{"url":"https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/O.WUdUPdtFvi097b4WqGCQ--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTcwNTtoPTE0ODtjZj13ZWJw/https://media.zenfs.com/en/prnewswire.com/28b6128b4340bef9d2e4b38d1115ff50","width":400,"height":84}},"href":"https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/844956/Zillow_v2_Logo.html","hrefExternal":true,"rel":"nofollow"},{"type":"text","content":"The research offers a cautionary example as some large brokerages are pushing to expand private marketing of homes nationwide — a trend poised to amplify inequity if it spreads.","length":177,"tagName":"p"},{"type":"text","content":"For nearly a decade, Midwest Real Estate Data (MRED), the multiple listing service that covers the Chicago area, has operated and promoted its own private listing network. These listings aren't made available for public display on real estate portals and other brokerage websites where consumers go to view homes. Instead, they're visible only to agents working with their network. Buyers not working with one of the insiders don't have access to these home listings.","length":479,"tagName":"p"},{"type":"text","content":"Zillow researchers examined MRED data, as distributed by MLS GRID, from Oct. 21 and found that homes for sale in its private listing network are 2.2 times more likely to be in majority-white neighborhoods, even after controlling for price, home type, location and broker activity.","length":280,"tagName":"p"},{"type":"list","items":[{"val":[{"type":"text","content":"In majority-white areas, 7.9% of homes...