Today, after months of industry debate, the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) announced its decision regarding the Clear Cooperation Policy (CCP).
CCP will stay in place, and a new policy is being rolled out by the association to “complement its existing Multiple Listing Service (MLS) policies,” according to a release from NAR.
The new MLS policy, titled “Multiple Listing Options for Sellers,” is aimed at expanding marketing flexibility for home sellers while maintaining fair access to listing information for buyers and their agents.
The policy was released on March 25, 2025, and is effective immediately, with a required implementation deadline of September 30, 2025.
Key Highlights of the New MLS Policy
At the core of the new “Multiple Listing Options for Sellers” policy is a new listing category: “delayed marketing exempt listings.”
Here’s a breakdown:
- This allows a seller to instruct their agent to delay public marketing of the listing through Internet Data Exchange (IDX) and syndication.
- The delay window will be determined by each local MLS based on what aligns with their local market needs.
- During the delayed marketing period, the listing remains accessible to MLS Participants through the MLS platform.
- A signed seller disclosure is required, confirming the seller’s informed decision to waive immediate public marketing.
- The same disclosure requirement applies to both delayed marketing exempt listings and office exclusive exempt listings.
NAR’s Decision
According to the release, this update comes after months of input from brokers, MLS leaders, agents, multicultural groups and industry experts.
The goal? To strike a balance between:
- More options for sellers
- Buyers’ need for access
- And, of course, legal risk mitigation
NAR President Kevin Sears stated:
“NAR continually reviews its MLS policies to ensure they best serve its members and their consumers while also mitigating and avoiding potential legal risks. As such, NAR undertook a comprehensive review of CCP as part of our efforts to ensure home sellers and home buyers have the information and flexibility they need to make decisions that work for them. These policy changes allow for greater choice for sellers in marketing their properties while considering buyers’ need to access information through MLSs. NAR is grateful for our members’ engagement throughout this process, and we are pleased to have reached an outcome that balances the needs and perspectives of our diverse membership.”
For more information on the new policy, agents can visit facts.realtor, which will be continually updated by NAR.
Industry Reactions
Early industry reactions range from “I love it” to “NAR needs to grow a backbone.”
Leo Pareja, eXp Realty CEO, emphasized the importance of maintaining transparency and cooperation in a statement:
“Preservation of cooperation is a win for consumers.
“I truly believe that the highest value a seller can receive comes from exposing their property to as many buyers as possible. While there are always exceptions—and sellers have always had the right to choose—I do believe that if a seller prefers not to have their property advertised, they should absolutely have that option.
“My biggest concern is the practice of steering sellers into believing that limited exposure is the best option, even when empirical data suggests otherwise.
“I support maximum transparency, education and disclosure, always keeping our consumers’ best interests in mind, and fulfilling the fiduciary responsibilities we all agreed to uphold when we earned our real estate licenses.”
One of the strongest critics of CCP, Compass CEO Robert Reffkin, stated that the addition of a new policy signals a subtle but significant shift in NAR’s stance.
“With NAR introducing a new MLS policy to ‘expand choice for consumers,’ they acknowledged the Clear Cooperation Policy restricted homeseller choice. Expanding choice means that NAR is still not letting homeowners choose precisely how to market their homes, but this is a small step in the right direction. MLSs shouldn’t restrict how homeowners market their homes at all, but by providing them with a longer period of unrestricted public marketing, like 30 days, MLSs reduce their legal risk and homeowners gain more choice that they need and deserve.”
Many, including Brian Donnellan, Bright MLS President and CEO, are pointing out that this option already exists in numerous MLSs.
“Today’s announcement from NAR affirms what innovative MLSs like Bright know — no two home sellers are the same, and brokers and agents need flexibility to best serve their clients. Our position has never been to dictate brokerage business models. We already have the options NAR is now suggesting. We have allowed subscribers for nearly two decades to market properties as their clients direct, such as the option to choose ‘Internet No’ in our system, and we removed the time limit on Coming Soon listings last summer. We’ve always been committed to ensuring that our policies meet the needs of our subscribers in a changing market, and that will always be the case.”
As for the portals? Jared James was quick to point out that there’s a caveat in the new policy that they probably “aren’t going to like.”
So, what are your thoughts? Take a look at the conversation happening and share your thoughts here.
Revisions have been made to the original post to include industry reactions.
