A word first
We offer search help too. Shenango Home Scout is not a neutral judge and wants people to contact us. We give our sources and dates so you can check each point yourself. None of these sites paid us or saw this page first, and we earn nothing from them. We do not link to them.
The short version
| Site | Who runs it | How it earns / what to know |
|---|---|---|
| Realtor.com | Move, Inc. (News Corp / REA Group) | Sells leads and ads to agents; listings mostly from MLSs |
| Zillow | Zillow Group | Sells buyer leads to agents; listing access standards since Apr. 2025 |
| Homes.com | CoStar Group | Charges agents for placement; says it sells no leads |
| Redfin | Rocket Companies (since July 2025) | Listing site plus its own brokerage |
| Local MLS-fed sites | Local brokerages | Freshest status; each one works differently |
Built from dated sources, some older than others. Check current details with each site.
Site by site
Checked October 23, 2026. We do not rank these sites or name a best one. Which fits depends on where you are looking, your budget and whether you are buying or renting. Most people end up using more than one.
Realtor.com
Buy · RentWho runs it (as of the source date)
Move, Inc., owned roughly 80% by News Corp and 20% by REA Group according to a source updated in April 2025. It runs under a license from the National Association of REALTORS®.
How it works
Makes money selling leads and advertising to agents, brokers and others in the industry, says the same source. A 2026 comparison says its listing data comes mostly from MLSs and agents.
Keep in mind
A 2026 comparison reports that homeowners cannot post their own for-sale-by-owner listings. Details such as HOA fees and square footage may be missing.
Source and date
Online Marketplaces (updated Apr. 10, 2025); List With Clever (2026); Wikipedia
Zillow
Buy · Rent · SellWho runs it (as of the source date)
Zillow Group, which also owns Trulia as of this writing.
How it works
Earns most of its money selling buyer leads to agents through Premier Agent, per a source updated April 2025. Very wide coverage and a home-value estimate.
Keep in mind
The agent who answers your inquiry may not be the one listing the home. In April 2025 Zillow set listing access standards that bar listings not shared with the MLS within 24 hours of public marketing, so some privately marketed homes may be missing.
Source and date
Online Marketplaces (updated Apr. 10, 2025); Inman (Dec. 31, 2025)
Homes.com
Buy · RentWho runs it (as of the source date)
CoStar Group, which bought it in 2021 and closed its Matterport purchase in early 2025.
How it works
Says it does not sell buyer leads to other agents (“your listing, your lead”) and charges agents for better placement in results.
Keep in mind
The tools and the agent model differ from the other portals. Compare how fresh its listings are against your local MLS.
Source and date
Online Marketplaces (updated Apr. 10, 2025); Inman (Dec. 31, 2025)
Redfin
Buy · RentWho runs it (as of the source date)
Rocket Companies, which finished buying Redfin in July 2025.
How it works
A listing site that also runs a brokerage with its own agents where it operates. Anyone can browse.
Keep in mind
Brokerage service depends on where Redfin operates. The 2025 ownership change means features and fees may shift.
Source and date
Rocket Companies press release (July 2025); Inman (Dec. 31, 2025)
Trulia and Apartments.com
Buy · RentWho runs it (as of the source date)
Zillow Group owns Trulia; CoStar Group owns Apartments.com.
How it works
Trulia adds neighborhood context. Apartments.com keeps a large database of apartment communities.
Keep in mind
Trulia mostly repeats Zillow’s inventory. Apartments.com is best for apartment buildings and thinner on houses or small landlords.
Source and date
Ownership as reported in the sources below, checked October 23, 2026
Local MLS-fed broker sites and county records
Buy · ResearchWho runs it (as of the source date)
Local brokerages publish sites fed by the multiple listing service their agents use. Counties publish parcel, tax and sales records.
How it works
Often the freshest status, since brokers enter listings there first. County records show tax and sales history for free.
Keep in mind
Every site behaves differently, some details need an agent, and records can lag recent sales.
Source and date
General description; confirm with your local MLS and county
Getting more from them
- Use at least two portals; each shows a somewhat different set of homes.
- Look up the same house on a local broker site fed by your MLS to see its latest status.
- Treat automated value estimates as a rough guide, not an appraisal.
- When you press “contact,” find out who is really going to answer.
Where we come in
This page cannot tell you whether we will turn up something these sites miss. What we can do is read through several of them for you, check the details and send a short list. Ask for a callback and we will explain exactly what that involves.
Sources
- Online Marketplaces, “Zillow vs Realtor.com vs Homes.com: The Ultimate Visual Guide to U.S. Real Estate Portals” (Harvey Hancock; published Sept. 6, 2023; last modified Apr. 10, 2025). Ownership and business-model points reflect that date and may have changed.
- Inman, “The Top 10 Moments That Rocked the Portal World in 2025” (Dec. 31, 2025).
- Rocket Companies, “Rocket Companies Completes Acquisition of Redfin” (July 2025).
- List With Clever, 2026 comparisons of real estate websites (contact routing, for-sale-by-owner listings).
- Wikipedia, Realtor.com (ownership and NAR license).