Compass tweaks listings platform in hopes of gaining competition’s “trust”

Compass has developed a reputation over the years as cutthroat, but the brokerage wants competing agents to know it won’t hide their identities on its listing platform.

The brokerage’s website now prominently displays listing agent details for every listing regardless of which firm the broker is from. Compass said the change promotes greater transparency.

“We hope other brokerages will appreciate the transparency and trust of always showing their listing agents,” CEO Robert Reffkin said in a statement.

Listing agent information has long been a point of contention for brokers using StreetEasy, owned by Zillow Group. In January, StreetEasy said the contact box “has been redesigned to educate buyers about buyer’s agents and provide Premier Agents with more quality and better-informed leads.”

Compass has been an outspoken critic of StreetEasy for years. Earlier this year, the listings portal rolled out a new program that would allow agents to pay to bypass Premier Agents on their listings. At the time, Compass noted it doesn’t “encourage a world where people have to pay to be on their listings.”

Compass’ platform change also plays into many agents’ desire for more transparency both within their own community and on listings websites.

Manhattan broker advocacy group NYRAC previously told The Real Deal that the issue was among their priorities. Co-founder Heather McDonough Domi, a Compass agent, said the group’s members were upset about StreetEasy’s change, which they feel is misleading to consumers. The group said it’s also been in conversation with the Real Estate Board of New York about disclosure on aggregator websites.