How to Set Up Zillow Alerts Properly So You Never Miss a Listing

Zillow alerts come from saved searches: you set up a search once, save it, and Zillow tells you when a new listing matches. The setup takes two minutes. Getting the filters right is what decides whether you hear about the good homes in time.

How to set up a Zillow alert

1. Sign in to Zillow, or create a free account. Alerts need one.
2. Search for the city, neighborhood or ZIP code you want.
3. Set your filters: price, beds and baths, home type, and anything under More.
4. Click Save search. Choose how often Zillow emails you; for a competitive market, pick instant emails rather than a daily summary.
5. In the Zillow app, allow notifications so new matches reach your phone right away.

To change or delete an alert later, open your saved searches from your Zillow account menu.

Filters that make alerts more useful

• Draw your own area. Use the Draw tool on the map to outline the exact streets you'd live on, instead of a whole city or ZIP code.
• Widen the price range a little. Set your top price about 5 to 10 percent above your real budget. Homes listed just above it often sell for less or drop their price.
• Use keywords for must-haves. The keyword filter under More catches features that have no checkbox, such as "ADU", "workshop" or "single story".
• Decide on coming-soon listings. Including them gives you a head start in some areas.
• Make one saved search per area. Separate searches are easier to tune than one huge map.

Track the homes you already like

Click the heart on a listing to save it. Zillow then tells you when a saved home changes, for example a price cut, a status change to pending or back on the market, or an open house. That's often how buyers catch a home that sat too long and is now negotiable.

Check each new listing quickly

When an alert arrives, a fast first check is the price per square foot compared with similar homes nearby. It's a rough measure, but it shows quickly whether a listing is priced high or low for its size. The Zillow Price/SqFt extension adds it to every listing card in your search results, so you can compare without opening each one. For more, see how to spot overpriced homes using price per square foot.

Why alerts can still be late

Most listings reach Zillow from local listing services (MLS), and there can be a delay between a home being listed and the alert reaching you. In a fast market, it helps to:

• set the same search on Redfin or Realtor.com, which may show some listings sooner;
• ask your agent to set up alerts straight from the MLS, which are usually the quickest;
• check your search directly each morning instead of waiting for the email.