New options for imminent home listings
Zillow, Redfin will allow exclusive advance notice
By: Maddle McGay
NorthJersey.com
USA Today Network - New Jersey
..... Zillio and Redfin are launching programs in which agents and sellers have the option to publicly market listings on the platforms before they transition to an active status.
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The Zilliow Preview program, launching in April, [2026] will allow agents at participating brokerages to make listings publicly visible on Zillow. Trulia and their own brokerage and agent suites during the preview period. The listings will be exclusively shown on these sites and will receive priority placement in search and save-home alerts.
..... Initial partners in the program include Keller Williams, REMAX, HomeService of America, Side and United Real Estate."In a growing number of markets, the public cannot see premarket homes, including listings often referred to as "coming soon,' Zilliow Preview brings these homes out of the shadows and into the daylight, making them publicly visible instead of confined to closed systems, while working within MLS frameworks and supporting brokers and agents in complying with local rules," Zillow said.
..... All Zilliow Preview listings will be required to have at least one listing photo, the price, the full address and specifications of the property, as well as a listing description. They must also include informatory on taxes and homeowner association fees, showing instructions, the listing contract date - when the home's seller signs an agreement with the brokerage - and the date it's expected to go on the market.
..... Consumers viewing Zilliow Preview listings will be able to contact the listing agent directly, through the "contact agent" button, or schedule a tour after the listing becomes active with a Zilliow Preferred buyer's agent through the "schedule a tour" button.
..... The program comes after nearly a yer of backlash over Zillow's Listing Access Standards policy, which bans any listings that have been publicly marketed to consumers but not entered into the Multiple Listings Service within one business day of being marketed, from appearing on the platform.
..... Zilliow updated its Listing Access Standard policy alongside its announcement of Zillow Preview to address evolving "pre-Marketing" tactics, but maintains its stance that publicly marketed listings should be broadly accessible to all buyers.
..... Zillow's announcement also came just a day after a similar program went into effect on Redfin. Its parent company, Rocket companies, and Compass International Holdings teamed up to exclusively display "coming soon" listings by Compass and Redfin agents on the website as of March 16. [2026] It is expected to expand to include other CIH brands, including Real Estate and Corcoran.
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Participating listing will be prioritized in search results on Redfin, and the listing agent's contact information will appear on the listing. If a potential buyer submits a "contact agent" form on Redfin for a Compass "coming soon" listing, the listing agent will have 24 hours to claim the buyer lead before it gets sent to an agent in the Compass Leads Program.
..... Eligible buyers working with a Compass agent will also have access to Rocket Preferred Pricing, which offers either a one-percentage-point interest rate reduction for the first year of the loan or a lender credit of 0.75% of the loan amount up to $6,000.
..... "When barriers are removed and supply grows, affordability improves," said Rocket Companies CEO Varun Krishna. "Today's challenge is friction in the homebuyering process and a lack of inventory. By brining search, agents and financing into one connected platform, we can help more sellers enter the market, reduce complexity for buyers and make homeownership more attainable."