Zillow Group, Inc. reports developments across its real estate technology platform, which connects consumers with listings, agents, loan officers, rental housing providers and other real estate professionals. Recurring company updates cover residential revenue, rentals, mortgage origination through Zillow Home Loans, for-sale marketplace activity, agent software tools, New Construction, Zillow Showcase and pre-market listing products such as Zillow Preview.
The company also publishes housing-market research based on Zillow data, including home value, rent, inventory, buyer-engagement and listing-speed measures. News frequently references Zillow brands and tools used across shopping, renting, buying, selling and financing homes, including Zillow, Trulia, StreetEasy, HotPads, ShowingTime, dotloop and related rental and closing services.
Zillow (Z, ZG) reported nationwide rental demand rose 19.2% year over year in its September rental market analysis. Its Zillow Observed Renter Demand Index measures rental demand. Typical monthly rent reached $1,932, up 2.7% annually, while the typical new homeowner's monthly payment rose 5% to $3,037. Zillow attributes the shift toward renting to elevated borrowing costs.
Single-family rental demand increased 21.6%, versus 10.1% for multifamily rentals. Typical house rent was $2,266, or $771 below a buyer's monthly payment. San Jose led demand growth at 82.5%, followed by San Francisco at 66.9%; annual rent growth there reached 8.3% and 11.8%, respectively. Demand declined in several markets, including Louisville and Baltimore. The median household spent 26.3% of income on a new rental, essentially unchanged annually, versus 41.3% for a new homeowner.
Zillow (Z, ZG) published research showing how a $100,000 household income translates into different rental options across U.S. markets. Using a guideline of spending no more than 30% of gross income on rent, that income supports about $2,500 per month, versus roughly $1,450 for a typical renter household earning $58,000. The higher budget covers 77% of Zillow listings available in August, but just 13% in the most expensive market.
Among listings priced at $2,333–$2,500 per month, Memphis offers a median 2,119 square feet and four bedrooms, compared with 650 square feet and one bedroom in San Jose. Nationally, listings in that price range offer nearly 20% more living space than those at a typical renter's budget. Median listed rent for January–August 2026 was $1,750 nationally and $3,539 in San Jose.
Zillow Group (Z, ZG) will release its third-quarter 2026 financial results after market close on Nov. 4, 2026.
A webcast and conference call will follow at 2 p.m. PT / 5 p.m. ET. Financial results, the live webcast link and a recorded replay will be available on the company's Investor Relations website.
Zillow (Z, ZG) reported an 8.5% annual decline in September newly pending home sales in its latest housing market report. Pending sales measure listings moving from for-sale to pending status, rather than completed transactions. Its preliminary estimate put existing-home sales at 319,346, down 2.5% year over year and 5.6% from August. Mortgage rates ended September at 7.28%, their highest level since November 2023.
The typical home value was $366,913, up 1% annually but down 0.5% monthly. A typical mortgage payment reached $1,922, up 6.7% annually, assuming 20% down and excluding taxes and insurance. For-sale inventory rose 2.5% annually to 1.39 million homes. Typical rent reached $1,932, up 2.7% annually—the biggest annual gain since April 2025—and 0.1% monthly. Zillow expects home sales to remain below year-earlier levels through the fourth quarter.
Zillow (Z, ZG) found newly built homes cost less per square foot than existing homes nationwide in July 2026. The median was $205 for new homes versus $212 for existing homes. New homes sold at a discount in 17 of the past 19 months, reversing a pattern in which they carried a premium in 77 of 84 months from 2018 to 2024. Austin had a 19.3% new-home discount per square foot, followed by Raleigh at 14.4% and Tampa at 12.4%.
New homes made up 12.6% of U.S. sales in the 12 months ending July 2026, matching their 2019 share after reaching 16.7% in 2023. The share ranged from 37.1% in San Antonio to 2% in Hartford. U.S. new-home supply was 9.6 months in July 2026, versus 7.6 months two years earlier, while resale inventory remained 17.1% below its pre-pandemic level. Zillow linked the discount to greater builder competition where construction has been more active.
Zillow (Z, ZG) reported 4.8 engaged home shoppers per U.S. listing in the second quarter of 2026. An engaged shopper saved or shared a for-sale listing on Zillow. The per-listing figure rose 21.4% year over year, while home sales rose 4.5% over the same period.
Luxury listings had a median of eight engaged shoppers per listing, versus 2.7 for bottom-tier homes. Engagement for luxury listings grew 25.7% year over year, compared with 8.6% for bottom-tier homes. Listings with four or more bedrooms drew 6.6 engaged shoppers per listing, versus 3.5 for two-bedroom listings.
Zillow (Z) and Realtor.com launched Preview℠ listings on both platforms on Sept. 17, 2026, giving buyers simultaneous early access to pre-market homes without special logins or brokerage ties.
The collaboration is described as the largest pre-market syndication effort in U.S. residential real estate, with more than 400 brokerage partners enrolled, including major national brands. Preview homes are clearly labeled and receive enhanced placement in search results and email alerts on both sites, and buyers can save homes, contact the listing agent, pre-book tours and use the extra time to secure financing. Zillow cites survey data that 88% of Americans are at least somewhat interested in viewing pre-listed homes online. Zillow reports that Preview listings generate 18% more views, 9% more shares and 7% more saves than comparable listings in the first 14 days on market.
Zillow Group (Z, ZG) reports that in August 2026, typical renting cost $1,066 less per month than buying in the United States, based on its Zillow Observed Rent Index and rent versus buy methodology.
The typical U.S. rent was $1,948, while the estimated monthly payment for a new home buyer, including taxes and insurance, was $3,014, creating annual savings of $12,792 for renters. If that monthly difference is invested at the 10-year Treasury yield of 4.68%, renters could earn an additional $322 in the first year and a cumulative $8,041 over five years, contributing to a potential $72,000 in total savings over that period, assuming costs stay stable.
In all 50 largest U.S. metros, typical rent is below the monthly cost of homeownership, with the largest gaps in San Jose, San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego. Zillow highlights tools such as its rent versus buy analysis, AI search mode and rent affordability calculator to help households evaluate these trade-offs.
Zillow (Z) reports that after a historic boom, new home construction is slowing as permitting and completions decline.
Over the 12 months ending July 2026, U.S. residential building permits fell 1.7% year over year to about 1.42 million, and are running a record 19.4% below the 2016–2020 pre‑pandemic trend. Permitting has declined year over year for 44 consecutive months. Detached single‑family completions dropped for the third straight year in 2025, down 2.5% from 2024 to roughly 817,000 homes.
Zillow highlights sharp permit pullbacks in Sun Belt boom markets such as Austin (-25.3%) and San Antonio (-24.1%), alongside gains in coastal and Midwestern metros including San Jose (+122%), Seattle (+35.8%) and Los Angeles (+30.6%).
Builders are shifting toward smaller, denser and faster‑built homes: the median detached home completed in 2025 was 2,300 sq. ft. on an 8,700 sq. ft. lot and took six months to construct. Zillow cites a U.S. housing deficit of 4.7 million units and notes that turnkey homes sell for 2.9% above expected values, while fixer‑uppers sell for 14% less.
Zillow (Z) reports that August 2026 U.S. home sales fell 0.6% year over year and 10.7% from July amid mortgage rates above 6.5%.
Newly pending listings, a leading demand indicator, declined 2.6% annually, and Zillow expects continued softness in the for-sale market as affordability pressures push demand toward rentals. The typical U.S. home value was $369,678, up 1.3% year over year but down 0.1% month over month, while the estimated monthly mortgage payment on a typical home reached $1,897, 2% higher than a year earlier.
Inventory rose to 1.41 million homes, 3% above last year and 0.2% above July, yet new listings slipped 7.9% from July to 356,934. Rents climbed 2.5% year over year to $1,948, with concessions offered on 39.2% of rental listings, suggesting the rental market is absorbing demand sidelined from buying.