Since the end of February, 2026, a buyer searching on Zillow may not see all properties available. This was made possible by all of the brokerages touting their own private listings platforms, including one on Zillow. During the time on the private listing sites, the listing agent typically receives all buyer leads. This is not about Compass, it’s about a fundamental change to the real estate industry.
It appears that sellers are not getting all the information they need to make the best decisions. These are NOT all homes that require painting….brokers/agents appear to be making every effort to “double-dip” commissions, rather than fulfilling their fiduciary duties to their sellers.
The MLS is no longer the first depository of listing information.
Zillow Research did an independent study of 2.72 million home sale transactions in 2023 and 2024. Key findings were that sellers who list off-mls or limit pre-market exposure see a sale price difference of 1.5% to 3.7% compared to properties sold through MLS starting on day 1.
Bright MLS also conducted a study including 100,000 listings in their service area between September 2024 and February 2025. Pre-market/private listings took a median of 37 days to reach contract vs. 20 days for listings that published on MLS on day 1.
I don’t have a private listing promotion. I have a full market promotion, with everyone getting exposure to your listing on day 1. This is the competition that produces the highest sale price in the least amount of time. This is about integrity. I present the benefits and the drawbacks to my clients to avoid “steering” them into a decision. My sellers make the best choice for themselves.
A buyer may see a “coming soon” listing on Zillow and get very excited – they may have found their dream home – only to get routed to the listing agent and told they can’t make an appointment to see the home. That is not seller protection, nor is it price optimization. It’s self-serving lead capture. Those buyers may have been pre-approved, looking for months, and very motivated. Most won’t wait. They’ll go buy something else. How is that in the seller’s interest? Inventory in most markets in Florida and Arizona is increasing. They have more choices now.
Coming Soon status only makes sense when repairs are in progress and the home isn’t ready to show.
I’m a broker who knows where the property you’re looking for lives. In this fragmented marketplace, buyers now need a true professional who can find the property they want (assuming it exists!) I have access to ALL built properties that may or may not be on the market in a way discoverable by the public.
