Zillow is a great search tool, but most consumers don't really know how their model works.
Are you thinking about selling your Carlsbad home at the end of 2026 or early in 2027?
Then you’re probably wondering about Zillow. Does it matter if your home is featured? Will it help you get a better price here in Carlsbad?
This is the episode you’re gonna wanna watch.
Hey, my name is Steve Olson. I’ve been selling homes for over 20 years. Thousands of home sales. I live and work right here in Carlsbad. And I’m gonna peel back the entire curtain on something a lot of agents aren’t willing to talk about.
If you want all the details, watch this episode here. If you want it summarized, read below.
How Does Zillow Make Money?
Let me be clear. I don’t hate Zillow. I think Zillow is a great company. Great product. Great home search. I wish I was as smart as Rich and Spencer. I would have invented Zillow too.
But you need to know how it works.
When a buyer clicks “contact agent” on your Carlsbad home, who do you think gets that message?
Most people think it goes to the listing agent. Most of the time, it doesn’t.
So who gets it? And how much does that agent have to pay Zillow? I’ll tell you in the video. It’s a lot more than you think.
Who’s Answering Questions About Your Home?
Think about this.
If I’m selling my home in Carlsbad for two and a half million bucks, I want my agent answering questions about it. I don’t want a random agent from another town who knows nothing about Aviara or Carlsbad.
But that’s what happens a lot of the time on Zillow.
I explain why in the episode.
What I Heard on a Zillow Webinar
I was on a Zillow webinar earlier today. It was for Zillow Showcase. That’s something agents can pay for to make a listing stand out.
You get a new look. A little bubble. Tours. Video.
Sounds good, right?
But in the middle of the webinar, they said something really interesting. And when you hear it, you’ll never look at a “featured” home the same way again.
You guys track with me? Watch the video for that part.
Marketing Can’t Fix a Bad Plan
Listen to me when I tell you this.
There is no amount of marketing that can fix a bad listing plan.
Not Zillow. Not ads. Nothing.
Carlsbad buyers are smart. They know the market. If your home is priced wrong, no amount of views will make them overpay.
There are only three things you need to get right to sell your home for a record price in record time. Get those right, and Zillow helps. Get them wrong, and it doesn’t matter how many people see your home.
I share all three in the episode. I also tell you a story about a Honda Accord that makes it super simple.
You’re Asking the Wrong Question
Most Carlsbad sellers ask me, “Hey Steve, what do you think my home is worth?”
That’s the wrong question.
There’s a better one. It’s how we get the most amount of inquiries, the most amount of showings, and the most amount of offers in the first 10 days. That’s how we break records here in Carlsbad. I break it down on the show.
One More Thing You Should Know
There’s something else about Zillow most people don’t know. It has to do with the mortgage side.
There’s nothing wrong with it. But I think you deserve to know about it before you pick an agent or a lender.
I cover it at the end of the episode.
So, Is Zillow Bad?
No. Zillow is a great tool. I’d still want my Carlsbad home on Zillow, Redfin, all of it. There are a lot of buyers looking there.
But Zillow is not the plan. It just helps the plan work faster.
The real plan happens at the table with your agent. It does not happen on Zillow, okay?
Watch the full video above, or listen to the podcast below to get all the details.
