John Sintich

Chicago Suburbs Realtor

[John Sintich @JSintich]

Summer plans are packed?

Mine too.

But if you want a shot at the
good listings, you need to block
a few hours on Saturday or
Sunday to view homes if you’re
a serious buyer.

New listings don’t survive until
Monday in this market.

Don’t miss your window.

[John Sintich @JSintich]

Want a move-in ready home
in a hot Chicago suburb?

Budget 25-100k over ask.

Can't do that? Find an overpriced
fixer upper and negotiate hard.

Unwilling to do either?

That’s ok, you’re just not
a real buyer in this market.

[John Sintich @JSintich]

Iran conflict flared up again
this weekend. Oil up 3%.

If this drags past the midterms,
the Fed starts talking multiple
rate hikes.

Rates could push past 7%.
For buyers and sellers in Chicagoland,
the window at 6.5-7% may not
last long.

[John Sintich @JSintich]

Phoenix can build its way out
of a housing shortage.

Chicago physically cannot.

Limited land. Restrictive zoning.
The neighborhoods people
most want to live in are the
Hardest to add supply to.

That’s why prices here keep
holding even when the
headlines scream “correction”

[John Sintich @JSintich]

If you're picking your next house
based on the school district listed
on Zillow, please stop.

Portal badges are wrong
constantly.

Boundaries split blocks.

Same street, different school,
totally different value.

Call the district directly.

[John Sintich @JSintich]

Does your agent prep you
for what could go wrong?

Appraisal gaps. Inspection
surprises. Market shifts.

A great agent walks you
through all of it BEFORE
it happens.

Surprises cost money.

Preparation doesn't.

[John Sintich @JSintich]

What your neighbor sold for
isn't your comp.

Different condition,
different timing, different
buyer pool.

Pricing from emotion or
nostalgia is sellers' worst mistake.

The market sets the price.

Your job is to position your
home for buyers who'll pay it.

That's it.

[John Sintich @JSintich]

Buyers:

If you’re searching for homes
in Chicagoland on Zillow
right now you’re missing
thousands of listings.

MRED cut their data feed
Tuesday night.

The full picture lives on
the MLS.

This is exactly why you need
an agent in your corner.

[John Sintich @JSintich]

Zillow is a great starting point
but it has never been the
whole picture.

If you are buying or selling in the
Chicago suburbs reach out.

I’ll make sure your listing is seen and
make sure you’re seeing all of the
opportunities in our market.

[John Sintich @JSintich]

Buyers:

If you’re searching for homes in Chicagoland on Zillow right now
you’re missing thousands of listings.

MRED cut their data feed Tuesday night.

The full picture lives on the MLS.

This is exactly why you need an agent
in your corner.

[John Sintich @JSintich]

Sellers:

If your home is listed in
Chicagoland right now it may
not be showing on Zillow.

Your listing isn’t gone but buyers
searching Zillow aren’t seeing it.

This is why you need an agent
marketing your home beyond just
one platform.

[John Sintich @JSintich]

The result?

Zillow went from showing
roughly 5,000 Chicagoland
listings to around 700 in a
matter of hours.

Thousands of active homes for
sale in our market vanished from
the most visited real estate site
in the country.

[John Sintich @JSintich]

Zillow said that private listing
network violated their standards.

MRED said Zillow was overstepping.

It escalated fast.

Zillow sued MRED and Compass in
federal court.

Then Tuesday night MRED pulled
the listings from Zillow feed entirely.

[John Sintich @JSintich]

Here’s the backstory.

In 2025 Zillow announced
new rules requiring any publicly
marketed listing to appear on their
site within 1 day.

MRED has a Private Listing Network
where agents share listings privately

AKA: Not on Zillow

[John Sintich @JSintich]

MRED is the MLS for the
Chicagoland area. It serves nearly
50,000 real estate professionals.

When you searched for homes
on Zillow in Chicagoland, the data
you saw came directly from MRED.

At least it did until Tuesday night.

[John Sintich @JSintich]

Thousands of Chicagoland
home listings just disappeared
from Zillow overnight.

Here’s what happened, what
it means for you as a buyer or
seller, and why this matters more
than most people realize.

[John Sintich @JSintich]

Your agent's loyalty should
be to your outcome, not to
closing the deal.

Sometimes the right advice
is "wait."

Sometimes it's "this house isn't
worth it."

An agent who needs every
deal to close can't afford to
tell you that.

Know whose side your agent
is actually on.

[John Sintich @JSintich]

If your max budget for a home
in the Chicago suburbs is $600k,
shop at $500k

A $610k offer on a $600k home
does not win in this market.

You need room to go nuclear
when you are up against 10 to 20
other buyers.

That flexibility is how you actually
get the house.

[John Sintich @JSintich]

National real estate headlines
mean nothing for your home
search in the Chicago suburbs.

Austin is not Chicago.
Miami is not Chicago.
Lakeview is not Naperville.

Each market has its own traits.

Start talking to someone who lives
in the market you actually care about.

[John Sintich @JSintich]

As a buyer’s agent, I almost
never give feedback after showings.

My duty is to my buyers,
not your seller.

Sharing their thoughts opens
the door to confidentiality
violations and works against
my clients.

Why would I give the seller ammo
before we even come to the table?