According to HousingWire, StreetEasy has made significant changes to how its Experts program operates, which is a lead generation tool connecting New York City consumers with agents when they request tours on listings. The platform has introduced a participation cap that prevents any single brokerage firm from representing more than 20 percent of the Experts agents in the program. Right now, Compass International Holdings is the only company operating above that threshold, which means new agents from Compass cannot join the program until their firm's share drops back down below the cap.
The changes also affect what agents pay StreetEasy when they close a deal generated through the Experts program. HousingWire reports that StreetEasy reduced success fees for lower-priced properties, cutting the fee from 25 percent to 15 percent for homes selling at $249,000 or below, and from 25 percent to 20 percent for properties between $250,000 and $399,999. According to a StreetEasy spokesperson quoted in the reporting, these adjustments are meant to ensure agents across all company sizes and price points have fair access to the program.
The spokesperson emphasized that no existing Experts will lose their current position in the program, and that StreetEasy has already established a waitlist for new agents wanting to join. Once Compass's participation drops below the threshold, HousingWire reports that agents on the waitlist will be processed and admitted into the program. The company framed these moves as part of keeping the platform "fair and accessible" for all market participants.
These program changes come amid broader tension between Compass and StreetEasy. HousingWire notes that Compass pulled its listings from StreetEasy in early August, with the company characterizing this as a common marketing strategy that still makes homes visible through the Real Estate Board of New York's multiple listing service. Compass leadership has also promoted on social media that consumers can find thousands of homes not appearing on StreetEasy, framing the move as a way to maintain flexibility in how sellers market their properties.
What I am seeing locally here in the Bay Area is that these kinds of power struggles between brokerages and listing platforms are becoming more common as the industry consolidates. When a major player like Compass gets capped or experiences friction with a lead gen platform, it signals that portals are trying to level the playing field, even if it frustrates the largest firms. For our buyers and sellers in Fremont and the East Bay, this could eventually mean better access to agents across different companies and potentially lower costs for agents working on smaller deals, though most of this news is still New York focused at this moment.
