The Drive to Be #1: Inside Realtor.com’s Legacy of RealAmbition

At Realtor.com, ambition is in our DNA. Long before today’s digital real estate giants existed, we were already building a national home search experience from the ground up.

Today, that same drive to lead the market is still pushing us to innovate, transform, and reclaim the number-one spot.

We honor this through our company value of RealAmbition, which speaks to our relentless ambition: our collective urge to compete ferociously with a degree of energy and endurance that sets us apart and sets the stage for us becoming #1 in our industry again.

For anyone considering pursuing a career at Realtor.com, our history tells you something important: this is a company that plays the long game, embraces hard problems, and keeps moving forward – even when the market doesn’t make it easy.

From Early Pioneer to National Portal

Realtor.com was born out of the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) dating back to 1996 and the early days of the internet.

“Back in 1996, the internet was just starting off,” said Jim Caulfield, Realtor.com’s long-time General Counsel. “Most sites were trying to figure out how they would make money, and you usually had to pay just to be included.”

Instead of putting up a paywall, Realtor.com did the opposite. Leveraging its relationship with NAR and MLSs across the country, the site aggregated listing data nationwide and made it free for consumers to browse. That decision shaped the entire category.

“We were the #1 portal for a long period of time,” Jim said. “From 1996 to 2006, we were essentially the only national portal in the industry – and the biggest game in town.”

That early ambition to create a comprehensive, consumer-friendly home search experience set the bar high. It proved that combining our bold vision with strong industry partnerships could change and improve the process of buying and selling homes.

Competing by Backing the Professionals

As new players entered the market, they often positioned themselves against real estate professionals. Some competitors initially floated the idea of “getting rid of the middleman.” Others adopted models that favored only one side of the transaction.

Realtor.com chose a different path, and the industry took note.

“We are an industry-friendly site,” Jim said. “We operate Realtor.com, the NAR website, and our priority is to connect consumers with a real estate professional. We believe that when people are making the biggest financial commitment of their lives, it’s best for them to work with a professional.”

Realtor.com’s ambition revolves around helping both consumers and professionals succeed together. That open-market, partnership-driven model continues to shape our strategy and our culture today.

“Realtor.com’s model is built on curated choice, giving consumers flexibility without overwhelming them or forcing them into one vertically integrated pathway,” said Bryan Charap, CFO. “Our approach aligns with the REALTOR® brand and strengthens our relationship with the broader industry. By enabling more agents, lenders, title providers, and other professionals to participate, we can expand the reach of our products and unlock greater opportunity for long-term growth.”

Surviving Market Volatility (and Coming Out Stronger)

RealAmbition is as much about resilience as it is about growth, and Realtor.com has navigated some of the most severe disruptions in real estate and tech:

The early-2000s dot-com crash
The housing crash of 2007-2009
A post-COVID period that, by some measures, was even more challenging for listings and affordability

“Milestones aren’t just the good events,” Jim said. “Surviving the tough times is also a milestone.”

Jim recalled that during the early days of COVID, sales teams were still working on desktop computers in the office, and the business had to source and deploy about 1,500 laptops overnight, at the exact moment every other company in the country was trying to do the same. Despite the scramble, operations continued.

“Just as the crisis stabilized, the market whiplashed in the opposite direction as people stuck at home began shopping for larger spaces,” he said. “What had felt like the wheels coming off the bus suddenly became a Formula One race. We were able to navigate disruption and surge ahead.”

Being able to pivot and adapt quickly, execute under pressure, and keep serving customers is RealAmbition in motion.

A New Chapter With News Corp and Global Synergies

In 2014, Move, Inc. was acquired by News Corp, with Australia’s leading real estate portal, REA Group, owning a minority stake. That gave Realtor.com a different kind of runway.

“When you’re a public company, you’re managing the business quarter to quarter,” Jim explains. “Being part of News Corp allows us to manage more strategically and think long-term. You still have to hit your numbers, but you get more room to be visionary.”

It also opened powerful synergies with brands like The Wall Street Journal, Dow Jones, New York Post, and REA in Australia.

“The internet works the same everywhere,” Jim said. “For example, SEO best practices and mapping technologies that can be shared. Collaborating with our sister companies lets us move faster and smarter.”

That global ecosystem is also fueling career mobility. Santosh Payal, our new Senior Director of Data based in Austin, is a great example.

“I’ve been with News Corp for the last 10 years,” Santosh said. “I moved from News Corp Australia to Realtor.com in August. It was a Lego-brick fit: Realtor.com wanted to establish a strong data practice with real foundational work, and that’s what I’d been doing across marketing analytics, finance transformation, and enterprise data.”

News Corp’s global mobility program and a unified job portal now make moves like Santosh’s more common, giving ambitious employees a chance to grow their careers across regions and brands.

Building the Next Generation Platform With Data and AI

For Santosh, RealAmbition today is reflected in the company’s bold technology and data agenda.

“Our technology ambition is truly transformative,” he said. “In the last couple of years we modernized a lot of legacy systems through TechMod. We’re managing our vendor ecosystem carefully, to stay flexible and not be overly dependent on any one partner.”

Data is central to that journey. “We’re in the business of monetizing data,” Santosh continued. “As I step into this role, I’ll be focusing on shoring up our foundations, strengthening enterprise governance, and scaling to support AI. While AI won’t be a miracle worker, if we build the right foundation, it will amplify our intentions.”

The team is now treating data as a product, with a principal data product manager and cross-functional collaboration between technology, product, and growth. They’re also partnering with other News Corp businesses to build shared data products and AI capabilities.

“As a digital company, our entire value proposition depends on our ability to innovate faster than both real estate competitors and major tech players shaping consumer expectations,” Bryan said. “Investments in infrastructure, data governance, and AI create the foundation we need to deliver world-class digital experiences for buyers, sellers, and real estate professionals.”

The Road Back to Number One

The value of RealAmbition at Realtor.com honors a history of leadership, learning from the tough years, and building the next generation of products, platforms, and partnerships that will help more people achieve homeownership. As Jim put it, “The hard part isn’t the vision; it’s the execution” – and that will require top-notch talent and determination.

“The path back to #1 will be paved with a series of meaningful smaller ‘number ones’ that prove our strength, build momentum, and reinforce that success breeds success,” Bryan said. “Even in one of the toughest housing markets in decades, we’re growing in places where competitors aren’t, and using those wins to fuel the belief and discipline needed to rise to the top again.”