Every Friday, we round up the most popular, most read, most critical stories of the week to give you a quick catchup on the big headlines you might have missed in the hustle and bustle of the workweek. Here’s this week’s Top 5 as chosen by our readers.
P.S. Don’t miss The Download, our weekly column that breaks down one of the week’s top stories and equips you with what you’ll need to meet next Monday head-on.
Zillow’s ChatGPT integration sets off alarm bells for industry leaders

Credit: Zillow Group and Canva
There were strong reactions this week to Zillow’s integration with ChatGPT, with some leaders claiming the portal had violated IDX licensing rules. But Zillow maintains it did its due diligence and is not handing over MLS data to OpenAI.
LendingTree founder, CEO Doug Lebda dies in ATV accident

Doug Lebda founded LendingTree in 1996 to simplify consumers’ mortgage loan search. He led the company through several busts and booms, growing its market value to more than $750 million.
Zillow may be surrounded, but it’s not checkmate just yet

Zillow has had a difficult month, with lawmakers and rivals filing four lawsuits aimed at upending portal’s main business segments. Although Zillow’s next moves will likely come with some pain, experts say it won’t end their dominance in the industry.
Will the Compass-Anywhere deal kill the boutique brokerage?

How can a boutique brokerage avoid being eclipsed by an industry behemoth? Dezireh Eyn suggests leaning into transparency as a differentiator.
Supreme Court just might give REX another shot at NAR, Zillow

U.S. Supreme Court. Credit: Canva
Attorneys for the defunct brokerage have petitioned the Supreme Court to weigh in on whether NAR’s no-commingling rule could have violated antitrust law, even if optional.