US Real Estate Agents Fight Back. Australian Agents? Yeah... Nah.

Picture this.

In America right now, Compass - one of the biggest real estate companies in the US - is taking Zillow to court. Their complaint? Zillow's trying to ban properties from their platform if agents dare to market them elsewhere first.

The response? Swift legal action. A proper fight. Because American agents still believe they have power.

Meanwhile, in Australia, agents are facing 110% subscription price hikes. One agent in Victoria watched his monthly fees jump from $190 to $399. His response? Pay up and carry on.

Same industry. Same portal power plays. Completely different responses.

Here's what I reckon is happening: it's not that Australian agents lack power. It's that the daily grind of running a business, combined with 15 years of portal dominance, has made it easy to forget just how much power you actually have.

The American Mindset: "We Still Have Power"

When Zillow announced their new "exclusionary policy" - essentially saying "list with us first or we'll ban your property" - Compass didn't hold a pity party. They didn't write a strongly worded letter to the editor. They lawyered up.

Their lawsuit argues this policy "reduces homeowner choice" and relies on "anticompetitive tactics." They're demanding Zillow stop the practice immediately and pay damages.

Think about what this represents. It's not just about one policy. It's a declaration: "We are partners in this industry, not your subordinates. Cross the line, and we'll fight."

American agents still operate from a position of assumed power. When portals overreach, they push back. When terms become unreasonable, they negotiate. When negotiations fail, they take legal action.

They haven't forgotten a fundamental truth: portals need agents just as much as agents need portals.

The Australian Reality: A Different Approach

Now let's look at Australia, where portal sales reps admit to being a "punching bag" for frustrated agents during recorded sales calls.

Even the portal's own people know the price hikes are tough to swallow. Yet year after year, the increases come, and year after year, they're accepted. Not because agents are weak or foolish, but because the entire industry has been conditioned to believe there's no alternative.

As you no doubt know by now, the ACCC is investigating REA Group for potential price gouging. But while that investigation proceeds, business continues as usual. The mindset has shifted from "We choose to use portals" to "We must use portals." From partners to dependents. From having options to having obligations.

It's not stupidity. It's strategy that needs updating.

The Power You Already Have

Here's what makes this whole situation fascinating: Australian real estate agencies haven't actually lost their power. The tools and audience are already there, waiting to be activated.

Want proof? Our data shows that collectively, Australian real estate agency websites generate more unique monthly visitors than Australia's leading portal itself. Our website clients alone receive over 15 million unique visitors per month (collectively) compared to their reported 11 million.

Let that sink in. The industry collectively has more digital reach than the portal you think you can't live without.

But here's where it gets really interesting: you don't need to match the major portal's total numbers. You just need to reach the right buyers for your properties. And you already have the tools to do exactly that.

Your Website: The Channel You Control

Your website isn't just a digital brochure. It's potentially your most powerful marketing channel - one you completely control.

Consider this: about 40% of the leading portal's traffic comes from Google searches. These aren't loyal portal users. They're people typing "houses for sale in [suburb]" who could just as easily land on your website.

Forward-thinking agencies are already capturing this traffic. They're investing in local SEO, creating suburb guides, and building content that positions them as the local experts. When someone searches for property in your area, your website can be the first result they see.

But it goes beyond Google. Your website is the hub that connects all your marketing efforts:

• Email campaigns drive traffic to your listings
• Social media ads send buyers to your property pages
• Your database gets exclusive early access to new listings
• Every interaction builds your data, not a portal's

One agency we work with generated over 62,000 form submissions through their website in 24 months. That included nearly 20,000 registrations for off-market properties. These aren't tyre-kickers - they're motivated buyers and sellers choosing to engage directly with the agency.

The Audience That's Already Yours

Here's a story that should make you think.

Recently, we saw a performance report from a major portal's social media advertising add-on product. It showed that running social media ads for a property listing generated a 200% increase in views. Let me say that again - social media advertising tripled the views of that listing.

Now here's the kicker: the portal is pushing this product hard to agents as an extra service. They're essentially saying "Pay us more money so we can advertise your properties on social media and drive traffic back to our portal."

But hang on... If social media is driving that much traffic, why do you need the portal as the middleman? Why not run those same social ads yourself and send buyers directly to your website?

The portals love to say "you're tapping into our audience" - as if buyers belong to them. But here's the truth: those 11 million monthly visitors aren't sitting around on property websites all day. They visit for an average of 8-10 minutes, look at a few properties, then leave.

Where do they go? Back to Facebook. Back to Instagram. Back to Google. Back to their email. Back to the places where you can reach them directly.

Think about your own behaviour. Do you live on property portals? Of course not. You check them occasionally when you're actively looking, then return to your regular digital life. That's exactly what buyers do too.

The "portal audience" isn't locked inside some walled garden. They're the same people scrolling through Instagram while watching TV. They're the same people Googling local services. They're the same people in your database who bought or sold three years ago and might be ready to move again.

In just 30 days, our Advance platform generated 2,000 physical open home attendees for agents through targeted social campaigns. These weren't random clicks - these were real people walking through properties. And here's the important bit: many of them weren't actively browsing portals when they saw the property. They were just living their digital lives when the right property appeared in front of them.

Your database is even more powerful. These aren't anonymous portal browsers - they're people who've already shown interest in your local market. They've given you their details. They trust your expertise. When you email them a new listing that matches their criteria, you're not competing with 50 other properties on a search results page. You have their complete attention.

The beauty of owning your audience channels is this: you can reach buyers wherever they are, whenever you want, with whatever message serves them best. Portal? Social media? Email? Your website? You're not limited to one channel that charges you more each year for the privilege.

You don't need to tap into "their" audience. The audience is already yours. You just need to reach them where they actually spend their time.

Building Your Independent Future

Some agencies are already proving what's possible. We know agencies selling 30% or more of their properties without portal listings at all. They're not anti-portal - they're pro-independence.

They use portals strategically, not desperately. Basic listings for broad exposure, but serious investment in the channels they control. Their own websites. Their own databases. Their own social media presence. Their own brand.

The maths is compelling. The difference between basic and premium portal subscriptions can be tens of thousands annually. Invested in your own digital assets, that budget could transform your business:

• SEO that brings buyers directly to you
• Social media campaigns you can measure and optimise
• Website improvements that convert visitors to enquiries
• Database tools that match buyers to properties automatically

Every dollar spent on your own channels builds your asset value. Every dollar spent on premium portal placement is gone the moment the campaign ends.

It's Not Too Late (No Matter What They Tell You)

I can already hear the objections. "The horse has bolted." "The major portals are too entrenched." "It's too late for Australia."

Rubbish.

That's exactly what the portals want you to think. It's the same learned helplessness that keeps you auto-renewing premium subscriptions without questioning the value.

Here's what "too late" really looks like: Blockbuster in 2010, convinced Netflix was a fad. Newspapers in 2005, certain classified ads would never move online. Taxi companies in 2012, sure nobody would get in a stranger's car.

Real estate in Australia in 2025? Not even close to too late.

Consider the facts. Agencies are already selling 30% of their properties off-portal. Your collective websites get more traffic than the leading portal. Social media can triple property views. Google sends 40% of the major portal's traffic - traffic you could intercept.

"Too entrenched" is what people said about newspaper classifieds before they were disrupted. "Too powerful" is what they said about taxi licences before Uber arrived. Market dominance feels permanent right up until it isn't.

Just this week, a business owner told me "I can't wait to see what happens with this ACCC investigation." As if someone else was going to ride in and solve all their problems.

Here's the truth: the investigation is only about price gouging. Even if the ACCC rules against REA, they're not going to fundamentally change how portals operate. They're not going to cap prices forever. They're not going to break up the monopoly. They're not going to force portals to play nice.

This is the real problem. We're sitting around waiting for someone else to fix things. The government. The ACCC. Industry bodies. Anyone but ourselves.

Meanwhile, American agents aren't waiting for regulators. They're taking direct action through the courts. They're not hoping someone else will solve their problems - they're solving them themselves.

The difference between "too late" and "just beginning" isn't about market conditions. It's about mindset. American agents don't have better portals or different technology. They just refuse to accept they're powerless.

Every agency that drops from premium to basic subscription proves it's not too late. Every property that sells through social media marketing proves it's not too late. Every buyer who finds you through Google instead of a portal proves it's not too late.

The ACCC investigation isn't the cavalry coming to save you. In fact, the ACCC have often been accused of being a toothless tiger.

Your own websites, databases, and social media channels are. The tools exist. The audience exists. The only question is whether you'll use them.

Stop waiting for someone else to fix this. Stop believing you're powerless. Stop accepting that dependency is permanent.

It's not too late. It's just beginning.

The Choice That Changes Everything

So here we are. Two industries at a crossroads.

American agents are actively shaping their future. They're setting boundaries, defending their rights, and making it clear that portal dominance has limits. They still believe in their power to determine their destiny.

The question for Australian agents isn't whether you need portals. Of course you do, to some degree. They're a valuable tool in your marketing toolkit.

The question is whether you'll keep operating from a position of dependency or start building from a position of strength.

What would happen if you dropped to basic portal subscription and invested the savings in your website? What if you started treating your database as your most valuable asset? What if you realised that reaching buyers through your own channels isn't just possible - it's already happening?

The Compass lawsuit isn't really about one policy. It's about an industry refusing to accept that they have no choices. It's about professionals who still believe they control their own destiny.

You have the same choice. You have websites that collectively outperform the major portals. You have databases full of qualified buyers. You have social media tools that can target buyers with laser precision.

You have power. Real, measurable, profitable power.

The only question is whether you'll use it.