The state of portals in 2026#

Let’s start with a fact reassuring for Zillow: 97% of real estate searches start online (NAR). It’s a stable number since 2018. The internet isn’t in decline—it’s the post-internet phase.

But here’s the real number that matters: where online? In 2020, 85% of searches happened on Zillow, Realtor.com, Redfin, or equivalents. In 2023, it was 71%. In 2026, we’re around 63-67% per studies.

That means 35% of real estate searches no longer go through the portals. They go to Instagram, TikTok, Google Maps, ChatGPT, YouTube, even TikTok Shop. Zillow didn’t lose 50% traffic at once, but progressively loses 1-2% per month. And the erosion is accelerating.

The behavior that changed everything: under-35s#

Photo: Vlada Karpovich · Pexels

The data is clear: 63% of under-35 buyers start their search on social media, and only 28% start with a real estate portal.

1. The lack of social context on portals#

On Zillow, you see a photo, text, a price. On Instagram, you also see the life of the neighborhood: restaurants, streets, vibe. A friend comments: “I live around there, it’s nice.” Info no portal can provide.

2. Smarter algorithms than filters#

The TikTok algorithm knows you like small apartments with open kitchens, that you’re looking on the West Side, that you’re hesitating between the Upper West and Hell’s Kitchen. It shows you the right properties. Zillow does too, but you have to type 50 criteria and filter.

3. Instant sharing#

Your spouse finds a 1-bed on Instagram Stories. They send it in 2 seconds on WhatsApp. On Zillow, you have to copy the link, wait for the page to load, share. Too slow for a buyer in flash mode.

4. Video has won#

A 360° virtual tour on TikTok, you scroll by moving your phone. More immersive than a photo. The generation buying its first home grew up on YouTube, Netflix, TikTok. Static images bore them.

The numbers, no detour#

• Real estate Instagram: ~500 million searches/month tied to real estate (#realestate, #apartmentgoals, #househunting)
• Real estate TikTok: +400% year-over-year growth in real estate content since 2023
• Conversational search: 35% of under-25s use ChatGPT or Perplexity to search for a property
• Dark social: 56% of property shares happen via WhatsApp / Messenger / Telegram, invisible to portals

63% of offers without an in-person showing#

Here’s the number that should worry Zillow: 63% of buyers make an offer without visiting the property physically. Especially under-35s.

• The 360° immersive tour replaces the in-person showing. You see every corner, zoom, mentally measure ceiling heights. Why travel before making an offer?
• Investor buyers represent ~25% of US purchases. They’ve always bought at distance. AI just helps them do it faster and better.
• Timelines shrink: you find Monday, offer Tuesday, accepted Thursday. No time to mature, the offer has to fly or someone else jumps in.

Consequence for portals: classic visuals are no longer enough. Zillow displays 15 standard photos, the buyer wants immersive video and rich content. A brokerage with a Kappn tour (360°) on its site, shared on Instagram, receives +40% more contacts. On these dynamics, see our pillar guide on AI in the real estate transaction.

A concrete example: portal budget cut in half#

Photo: Tima Miroshnichenko · Pexels

An independent 12-agent brokerage in Boston spent $18,000/month on portals (Zillow Premier, Realtor.com, Redfin Partner, plus sponsored ads). $216,000 per year. In January 2025, they test a new strategy:

1. 70% of portal budget retained: $11,000/month (still present, but without premium packs)
2. Pro Instagram account + half-time community manager: $3,000/month
3. Immersive tours on each property (Kappn, ~$250/property): ~$1,200/month
4. Short TikTok videos: 1-2 per week (included with the CM)
5. Automated chatbot follow-ups: free or marginal cost

Total cost: $15,000/month. Savings: $3,000/month, or $36,000/year. And after 4 months:

• Contacts via portals: -8% (expected and accepted)
• Contacts via Instagram: +65% (immersive tours shared in Stories = viral effect)
• Contacts via TikTok: +35% (an AI staging video hit 120K views, 400 DMs)
• Contacts totaux : +22 %
• Average sale time: 16 days faster
• Prix atteint : stable ou +1 %

+22% contacts = 3-4 additional listings per agent per year. Across 8 selling agents, ~28 additional listings, or ~$50K in gross commissions. Net gain: ~$86K/year, while reducing the marketing budget. Zillow hasn’t vanished. But it’s no longer the only horse.

Conversational search: the new portals#

A repeating scenario in 2026: a buyer opens ChatGPT or Perplexity and asks “I want a 2-bed in Austin, under $400K, 10 minutes walk from a school, with parking. What do you suggest?”. AI synthesizes available data (MLS, indexed portals, brokerage sites, LinkedIn and Instagram content) and proposes 3 specific properties with details, valuation, market trends.

The buyer clicks on one, arrives at the brokerage site, sees the 360° immersive tour, requests an appointment, negotiates, signs. A brokerage with a rich website, a 360° tour, and structured content will be found by ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google. A brokerage betting only on Zillow will stay invisible in this search. This doesn’t kill portals, but it dilutes their power: you’re no longer required to go through them to be discovered.

Zillow isn’t dead. Zillow lost the monopoly. You’re no longer hostage: you’re the decider.

The acquisition strategy in 2026#

Think omnichannel. Three simple steps.

Step 1: portal presence (60% of budget)#

You can’t ignore Zillow, Realtor.com, Redfin. Still 65% of entry points. Keep listings up to date, decent photos, complete brokerage profile. But stop the premium “super listing” and “boost positioning” packages—the ROI erodes.

Step 2: direct presence (30% of budget)#

• Rich website: dedicated page per property with 360° tour + AI estimate + pro photos
• Instagram and TikTok: 2-3 posts per week — see how to create real estate Instagram content that performs
• Google My Business: polished local presence
• LinkedIn: essential if you prospect investors or developers

Step 3: discovery automation (10% of budget)#

• Chatbot on your site, 24/7 qualification
• Clean Google indexing to be found by conversational AIs
• Shareable content with no friction on WhatsApp, Messenger, Stories

Is Zillow really in danger?#

No. Zillow isn’t in danger: it’s in transition. From “required marketplace” to “platform among others.” The likely scenario for the next 5 years:

1. Zillow remains dominant on desktop (~63% of traffic), but weakens on mobile (~47% of traffic now comes from social media and conversational search)
2. Zillow adapts: more 360° video integration, AI recommendations, Instagram-style feed
3. Large firms maintain big portal budgets. Small brokerages reduce and diversify. The gap widens
4. Innovations arrive elsewhere before Zillow. A new tool is born on TikTok or in a startup, Zillow copies 6 months later

Zillow will remain a key player. But never again the key player. On the case of brokerages that haven’t yet shifted, see our deep-dive on the need to modernize your brokerage’s communication before competitors do it for you.

Where to start#

You have a limited marketing budget. You can’t do everything. Here’s the priority order field-tested.

Priority 1: immersive video on your 5 best listings#

A 360° tour generates +40% contacts vs photos alone. The best signal-to-noise ratio in real estate marketing in 2026. Budget: ~$1,200/month, ROI visible in 4 weeks.

Priority 2: pro Instagram, 1 post per week#

No need for a full-time community manager. Someone who posts every Monday morning a 30-second immersive tour, that’s 2 hours per week. Cost: ~$600/month in freelance. Impact: +15% contacts in 2 months.

Priority 3: dedicated property page for hero listings#

A site dedicated to your best property generates more contacts than 10 properties on Zillow. Cost: $6-12K to build, amortized on 1-2 premium listings.

Priority 4: qualifying chatbot#

A chatbot asks the right questions (“Budget? Square footage? Location?”) and proposes 3 properties in response. Cost: $0-$600/month. 35% of visitors become leads, vs ~8% without chatbot.

The end of Zillow, is now#

Zillow isn’t dead. Zillow lost the monopoly. Same thing, except you’re no longer hostage. Brokerages that diversify now gain 20-30% more contacts, for an identical or reduced budget. Brokerages that wait will be blocked: everyone will have adopted Instagram and TikTok, they’ll arrive late, the algorithms will be saturated.

2026 is the year you start building your independence from Zillow. Not by abandoning it—by complementing it.