What happens when an MLS, a portal, and the largest brokerage in America stop pretending to play nice? This week, Courtney breaks down the Zillow vs. MRED vs. Compass lawsuit — the 43,000 listings that vanished from Zillow overnight, the federal judge who slapped both sides, and the second MLS (Realtracs in Nashville) now lining up to pull the feed June 1. Joined by Vanessa Bergmark, CEO and Owner of Red Oak Realty in the East Bay, for a frank conversation about what this means for independent brokerages, sellers, and the future of Clear Cooperation. And of course — the deafening silence from NAR.
Guest Bio:
Vanessa Bergmark is the Owner and CEO of Red Oak Realty, an independent East Bay brokerage founded in 1976 and acquired by Vanessa in 2010. Red Oak has been profitable every year under her leadership and is known for its hyper-local focus on the East Bay community — “we don’t specialize in price points, but in people.” Vanessa is a recurring voice in industry policy debates, an Inman Disconnect speaker, and one of the most consistent independent-brokerage advocates for Clear Cooperation. She called NAR’s 2025 decision to preserve Clear Cooperation a courageous one and has warned that “the topic has been dominated by players looking to strengthen their market position”.
IG: @redoakrealty
Red Oak Realty: redoakrealty.com