When you think of Zillow stock, the publicly traded share of the leading online real estate marketplace in the U.S.. Also known as ZG, it represents ownership in a company that connects buyers, sellers, and renters with property data, estimates, and agent contacts. But Zillow isn’t just a website—it’s a data engine built on millions of home listings, user behavior, and market trends. And while many people use Zillow to check home values or find rentals, the stock itself reflects how well that entire system works—especially when compared to rivals like CoStar, the dominant commercial real estate data platform used by brokers and investors..
Zillow’s model relies on two big things: traffic and data. The more people who visit to search for homes, the more advertisers and agents pay to reach them. That’s how Zillow makes money—not just from selling leads, but from premium listings, mortgage services, and even its own home-buying arm, Zillow Offers. But here’s the catch: the company’s value doesn’t come from owning houses. It comes from knowing which houses people care about, when they’re searching, and who’s willing to pay to connect with them. That’s why real estate marketplace, a digital platform that aggregates property listings and connects buyers with sellers or agents. platforms like Zillow and CoStar are so powerful. One targets residential buyers; the other serves commercial investors. Both depend on accurate, up-to-date data to stay relevant.
And that’s where things get tricky. Zillow’s home value estimates—called Zestimates—have been both praised and criticized. When the market was hot, they looked smart. When it cooled, they looked wrong. That volatility directly impacts investor confidence, which shows up in the stock price. Meanwhile, CoStar doesn’t guess home values. It tracks actual sales, leases, and tenant histories in commercial buildings. That’s why many serious investors trust CoStar more for big decisions, even if Zillow is easier to use for a casual search.
So if you’re wondering whether Zillow stock is a good buy, ask yourself: are you betting on the idea that most people will keep using online tools to find homes? Or are you betting that the whole model will break under pressure from rising interest rates, tighter lending, or new competitors? The posts below cover real-world questions about property markets—from how to rent in the U.S. to what makes a 2BHK apartment popular, and even how commercial properties get marketed in 2025. They don’t talk about Zillow stock directly, but they show you the kind of real estate behavior that drives its business. Whether you’re looking to buy, rent, or invest, understanding these patterns helps you see why Zillow’s stock moves the way it does—and whether it’s still worth paying attention to.