Program Standards

Zillow Preferred℠ Program Standards are more than just benchmarks—they help you provide a consistent client experience and are your gateway to growth.


Meeting or exceeding standards means:

• Opportunity for more Zillow Preferred connections
• Improved efficiency and team alignment
• Continued eligibility and partnership with Zillow

Operational Health Ratings Metrics

The Operational Health Rating consolidates the following metrics, and is designed to help clearly communicate requirements and expectations for Zillow Preferred partners to maintain good standing in their partnership with Zillow and avoid disengagement.

Each month a partner’s Operational Health Rating will reflect one of the following statuses:

• Green rating – All metrics above minimums.
• Yellow rating – Any metric below minimum for 1st month.
• Red rating – Any metric below minimum for 2 consecutive months, even if it’s a different metric.

Metric Minimums

• 75% Follow Up Boss Coverage as of the end of the previous month.Help
• 75% Closing Doc Submission Rate over the last 3 months.
• 95% Pay on Time Rate over the last 3 months.Help

Maintaining Program Eligibility

Partners are expected to participate in regularly scheduled Strategic Business Reviews (SBR) with their Growth Advisor. Partners can work with their Growth Advisors to improve performance and operational health metrics by applying the program coaching and feedback they receive during the SBR.

The Disengagement process is Zillow’s accountability structure to address partner underperformance. If your team fails to achieve the minimum Zillow Preferred performance metrics above or has a Red Operational Health Rating, you will enter the Disengagement process and may be removed from the Zillow Preferred program.

Partners in Disengagement will typically have 30 days to correct the metric or non-compliance issue. If you fail to improve your performance or resolve the compliance issue within 30 days, you may be removed from Zillow Preferred.

Zillow reserves the right to stop working with any agent at any time.

Compliance and Transaction Policies

The following expectations detail the compliance and transaction processes and policies we expect all Zillow Preferred partners to adhere to as part of the Zillow Preferred Performance Standards:

Prior to Activation:

The following expectations detail the compliance and transaction processes and policies we expect all Zillow Preferred partners to adhere to as part of the Zillow Preferred Performance Standards:

• Download the Zillow Preferred Team Lead welcome packet which is your guide for how to effectively create accountability and empower your team.
• Team Leads and transaction coordinators must complete the “Success Fee Transaction Management” course on Zillow Academy.
• Download and review the Zillow Preferred payment process guide, which details how to log, close, and pay for transactions.
• Review and share these resources with your transaction coordinator:
  Zillow Preferred Closing Doc Compliance and Document Best Practices
• Download and use the W9 form for completing the payment process.
• Review the Zillow Preferred pricing page to familiarize yourself with the pricing model.

Program Policies

• Adhere to contract terms and conditions outlined in the Zillow Preferred agent agreement and broker agreement.
  • Agents must be associated to the same Broker of Record as theirHelp in the Zillow Preferred enrollment flow.

• Complete transaction closing activities in the Premier Agent App (Zillow CRM):
  • All transactions for which Zillow is owed a referral must be logged and closed appropriately with closing documentation uploaded into the PA App within a timely manner.
  • Any changes to the transaction details must be updated in advance of closing.

• Transactions for which a success fee is owed will count toward your monthly transaction target, while transactions where no fee is owed will not count towards credit.
  • If a transaction has success fees owed and the transaction status is pending with a close date 14 days or more in the past, credit toward your monthly transaction target will be removed until the status is properly updated.

• Zillow requires that closing document(s) are uploaded in the Premier Agent App within 4 calendar days for every transaction eligible for a success fee.
  This can be an ATLA, HUD, or settlement statement and must show Gross Commission earned.
• A connection originally delivered via the Market-Based Pricing program (MBP), additional pre-pay models (i.e. Showcase) and reconnected after six (6) months through a post-pay referral program (i.e. Zillow Preferred) to the same agent or team, will be charged a success fee in the respective post-pay program.
  • These reconnections are eligible for a success fee exemption following standard exemption policies outlined in the post-pay agreements.

Payment Guidelines

• Zillow is owed a success fee on the first two transactions (buyer or seller representation) you complete with a Zillow Preferred lead during the two years after you received the lead.
• Zillow may pursue any contracted partner (Broker, Team Lead, Individual Agent) for collection on any success fee owed, regardless of a partner’s current Zillow Preferred roster status (active/inactive) or changes to the team/agent/brokerage relationship.
• Partners may be eligible for a success fee exemption if they meet the following criteria:
  • (1) Provide Zillow with documented proof of two-way communication taking place within the 30 days prior to Zillow delivering the lead.
  • (2) You notify Zillow of this pre-existing relationship within 48 hours of lead delivery.
    • Download the Success Fee exemption guide to learn more about the requirements to qualify.
    • Submit the Success Fee exemption form when you have transactions that you believe meet this criteria.

• Payment must be remitted to Zillow within 15 days if payment is not issued at escrow.
• Rental agreements should not be logged as Zillow Preferred transactions.