G
oogle is testing a new ad format that places for‑sale home listings directly inside mobile search results in a handful of cities—Chicago, Denver and Austin. The feature is a paid partnership with ComeHome, a HouseCanary subsidiary that operates as a licensed brokerage and pulls data from MLS feeds. Each listing that appears shows full property details and offers links to request a tour or contact a buyer’s agent, with a disclaimer that the data is not supplied or sponsored by listing agents or brokers.

    Industry observers have long considered Google a potential tail‑risk to established real‑estate portals such as Zillow and CoStar. Previous experiments by the tech giant never gained traction, so skepticism remains about whether this will become a serious new business line. Nevertheless, the rollout has already dented the share prices of Zillow and CoStar.

    Keefe, Bruyette & Woods analysts note that Zillow’s strong direct‑traffic mix and brand equity may shield it somewhat from Google’s entry. They also point out that CoStar’s Homes.com, which primarily advertises to listing agents, is already being valued less favorably as the market sees Google’s product as more aligned with buyer‑agent platforms like Zillow or Realtor.com. Redfin, now part of Rocket Companies, could face a longer‑term hit to its unique monthly visitors, but analysts believe Rocket still has a “very meaningful opportunity” to monetize those visitors even if their numbers decline.

    Google is not the only outsider entering the portal arena this year. In July, USA Today publisher Gannett announced a multi‑year partnership with AddressUSA to launch an online real‑estate portal across the USA Today Network.