Why Data Ownership Matters More Than Ever: The CoStar vs Zillow Battle and What It Means for Real Estate Media

The growing use of 3D tour technology has redefined how visuals are created and who ultimately owns them. With CoStar’s acquisition of Matterport, agents are at risk of losing control of how and when their visuals are used. What were once simple marketing tools are now being used as platform assets to fuel large listing platforms

At Blue Dot Photos, we believe your visuals should work for you - not the platform.

At Blue Dot Photos, we want your listings to serve you, and only you.

We retain ownership of all media but provide our clients with full marketing usage rights across all products. This protects your brand by preventing unauthorized reuse of your listing photos by competitors or third parties. Licensing means you keep full control over who can use your images, while Blue Dot Photos protects them from being copied, reused, or misused by others- safeguarding your investment and your brand.

Your content remains your intellectual property, meaning:

• You decide where and how it’s used.
  We promise more than an image. Our pictures breathe – from the soft afternoon light spilling in to the intricate grain of the marble, every texture is high resolution and meticulously polished.
• You keep your branding front and center.
  No third-party watermarking, no hidden data sharing, and no redirecting leads to competitors.
• You own the long-term value.
  As listings come and go, your visuals can be repurposed for marketing, social campaigns or portfolio growth.

This ownership-first model allows agents and teams to maintain their independence, in a market that is highly controlled by technology.

With CoStar integrating Matterport and Zillow rolling out AI-powered experiences, brokerages are becoming more protective of their marketing assets.

They’re asking hard questions:

• Who controls the data captured from my listings?
• Can another platform reuse my tours to attract leads that I will never see?
• What happens to my content if I decide to switch platforms?

Inman summed it up perfectly: “Companies must ‘get big in order to compete’ with Compass, Anywhere, and others.” But for independent agents and small brokerages, getting big doesn’t mean giving up control; it means choosing the right partners who strive to protect your brand’s autonomy.

That’s where Blue Dot Photos comes in.

While others build ecosystems designed to capture agent data, we build solutions that give it back to you.

Whether it’s:

• Real Estate Photography that makes your listings shine
• 3D Tours that belong fully to you and are shareable across any platform anytime, anywhere
• Virtual Staging & Decluttering that’s fast and affordable, and will transform your property into a showstopper in no time
• Or Floor Plans & Visual Marketing Assets that are ready to be uploaded anywhere

Blue Dot Photos ensures that every content you invest in remains your competitive advantage and not someone else’s.

As CoStar and Zillow continue their fight for market dominance, one thing is obvious: ownership is power.

Agents who control their content, control their brand, their data, and ultimately their business.

At Blue Dot Photos, we’re redefining what real estate media means i,e, putting ownership back where it belongs: in the agent’s hands.

Your Listing. Your Media. Your Rights.

Partner with Blue Dot Photos today and take back control of your marketing future.

Schedule your shoot today