It’s no secret that Zillow dominates online real estate traffic. But what most sellers don’t realize is that when they list with a traditional agent — or even post FSBO directly — they’re often paying to send their buyer leads to someone else.
The good news? There’s a way to stay visible without handing over your audience.
The Problem with Third-Party Portals
When your listing shows up on Zillow, Redfin, or Realtor.com, here’s what typically happens:
- Your home appears alongside dozens of others
- Multiple agents’ faces show up on your listing — even if they’ve never seen your home
- Interested buyers are encouraged to contact the agent paying for ad space
- Those agents often have no connection to you or your sale
In other words, you’re funding your own competition. And if you’re trying to sell directly or keep control of who sees your listing, that’s a problem.
So How Can You Stay Visible and in Control?
With modern marketing tools, sellers no longer need to rely on broker platforms to reach buyers. Here’s how platforms like brDIY change the game:
- Property-specific listing pages
Every listing gets its own dedicated, mobile-optimized web page. No distractions, no competing listings, no confusing navigation.
Custom QR codes
- Whether you use a yard sign, flyer, or digital ad, every scan points directly to your listing — not Zillow or a broker site.
Lead capture built in
- When buyers show interest, you get the lead. Not an agent who paid for the top spot.
Optional MLS syndication
- Want your listing to appear on Zillow, Redfin, or Realtor.com anyway? You can still syndicate through an MLS feed — but traffic is driven back to your branded listing, not a noisy portal.
Why This Matters for Sellers
Let’s say you’re offering 2% to a buyer’s agent. That’s fair it invites cooperation and ensures your listing gets shown. But if you’re also using a listing agent who’s just putting your home on Zillow and hoping for clicks, you may be paying thousands for exposure that actually benefits someone else.
brDIY helps you cut through that noise, put your home front and center, and capture buyer attention all while keeping your lead flow private and under your control.
The Takeaway
You don’t need to disappear from Zillow to avoid wasting money. You just need to make sure that when buyers are interested, they find you not your competition.
With smart tools and clean marketing, you can have full visibility and full control.
