Zillow CEO Doubts Buyers Want AI Home Searches
Home shoppers relying on Zillow listings should expect AI tools to play a growing role in how they search for homes.
Updated on Nov. 5, 2026 in Residential
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Zillow Group CEO Jeremy Wacksman said on the company's quarterly earnings call that most people will not want AI agents to handle their home searches. The remarks came as Zillow reported third-quarter 2026 revenue of $724 million, below its own forecast, for a business that relies heavily on human-led home buying.
Why it matters
Zillow earns most of its money from the home-buying process, including fees tied to partner real estate agents and its mortgage lending business, so the way buyers search matters directly to those revenue streams. An AI agent that handles the searching could weaken Zillow's position by cutting it out of the process, which is why the company's view on AI agents bears on what homebuyers may see in the months ahead.
Zillow's third-quarter revenue rose 7% to $724 million, below its own forecast of $745 million to $760 million, and the company posted a $158 million net loss. About 80% of its traffic comes directly to Zillow, and more than 2.5 million people used its AI mode from March to September, asking 8.5 million questions.
The players
Zillow Group
Real estate marketplace whose listings, agent referrals and mortgage business make it central to the U.S. home-buying process.
Jeremy Wacksman
CEO of Zillow Group, who predicted most people will not want AI agents to handle house hunting.
Amazon
Online retailer that blocked Meta's Muse agent from its shopping site and is suing Perplexity over its Comet shopping agent.
Meta
Parent company of Facebook and Instagram, which launched the Muse personal AI agent in September.
The details
Wacksman made the case in prepared remarks on Zillow's quarterly earnings call. Zillow has integrated with OpenAI and Google's Gemini and is now working with Anthropic, positioning itself inside AI tools while arguing that home buyers still prefer direct engagement. The broader AI-agent shopping fight is visible elsewhere: Amazon blocked Meta's Muse agent from shopping on its site less than two weeks after Muse launched in September, and Amazon is suing Perplexity over the shopping agent in its Comet browser.
Timeline
September: Meta's Muse personal AI agent launched, and Amazon blocked it from shopping on its site less than two weeks later.
August: A federal appeals court overturned an injunction Amazon had won against Perplexity.
March to September: More than 2.5 million people used Zillow's AI mode.
November 4, 2026: Wacksman made his remarks on Zillow's earnings call.
The Home Front
The fight over AI shopping agents in housing mirrors the broader e-commerce pattern in which Amazon has blocked outside agents and is litigating against them. Zillow's stance places the residential real estate market in that same contest over who controls the first step of a purchase.
If you are searching for a home, be aware that AI agents may increasingly sit between you and listings, so compare what any tool shows you against the listing itself and a licensed agent's advice. Keep your mortgage and agent documents organized so you can verify any information a search tool gives you.
The takeaway
AI search is becoming a gatekeeper between buyers and listings, and the companies that control it are fighting over that position. Before relying on any AI tool for a home search, confirm details such as price, square footage and fees directly with the listing and your licensed agent.
Further reading
For more on how home prices and buyer costs are shaping the market, explore Residential coverage.
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