Google ruffled feathers this week by testing home ads as part of its search results, flaunting potential competition for portal bigshots like Zillow.
The ubiquitous search engine is testing new home ads at the top of its results, including links to request tours and contact agents, days-on-market data, price filtering, and more.
The ads have only been found in select markets and on mobile devices.
“This is a small experiment in partnership with ComeHome by HouseCanary that displays property listings and information alongside existing real estate agent ads on Google Search,” a spokesperson told MSN.
But even this experiment is throwing the top housing portals for a loop.
“Google putting for-sale listings directly into search results — even if it’s a test — is a big deal,” real estate strategist Mike DelPrete wrote on his blog, which highlighted the tests.
Sites like Zillow, Homes.com, and Redfin – already in a heavy battle between themselves – saw their stocks fall by more than 10% as investors reacted to the news.
The move is also a blow to Rocket, which bought Redfin in 2025. Its stock price also took a hit.
Google enters the game at a fierce moment for home listing dominance. Zillow, Homes.com, and Redfin have traded hits all year.
In July, Homes.com, owned by Co-Star, sued Zillow over copyright infringement on nearly 47,000 photos, asking for a “substantial reward for damanges” while simultaneously threatening to sue Realtor.com and Redfin for similar reasons.
Zillow then claimed CoStar declined to renew its Matterport API agreement (CoStar acquired Matterport last year), leading Zillow to remove Matterport 3D tours from its listings.
Meanwhile, the FTC is suing Zillow and Redfin, alleging they conspired to restrict competition among online listing services.
These listings bring another force to the front: ComeHome by HouseCanary, which appears to be the source of Google’s home listings through a paid partnership.
For now, the listings remain tests, and only time will tell what changes might stick.
“There are a lot of potential implications here, from the incumbent portals to exclusive listings to AI and international, but for now it’s all speculation,” DelPrete said.
