Redfin Joins Zillow in Banning Publicly Marketed Off-MLS Listings

Redfin is the latest portal to weigh in on the MLS vs. private listing debate, following Zillow’s lead. And unlike Homes.com, which has positioned itself as fiercely pro-agent and anti-portal control, Redfin is pushing for balance.

In a Monday announcement, Redfin CEO Glenn Kelman confirmed that the portal will no longer publish any listings that have been publicly marketed before being submitted to the MLS and distributed to all real estate websites. He also called on MLSs nationwide to introduce a standardized “coming-soon” listing designation to give sellers more control over how their homes appear online.

Redfin’s Stance: No Publicly Marketed Off-MLS Listings

Kelman’s announcement came just days after Zillow updated its own listing policy to exclude any publicly marketed listings that haven’t been added to the MLS within 24 hours. Redfin’s move appears aligned with that philosophy, though it doesn’t include the same hard 24-hour cutoff or immediate enforcement date.

In Kelman’s words:

“Because we believe that all buyers should be able to see all listings, Redfin.com will not publish any listings that have been publicly marketed before being shared with all real estate websites via the MLS.”

A Push for a New Coming-Soon Solution

Redfin is also advocating for a compromise: a coming-soon status that hides days on market and price history—two data points sellers worry most about when going live too early.

“Redfin is asking MLSs to create a coming-soon designation for listings that precludes search sites from showing how long a home has been for sale and at what prices.”

This would give agents and sellers the opportunity to pre-market properties through the MLS without triggering “days on market” penalties or exposing fluctuating pricing history that could turn off potential buyers.

In addition, Kelman called out brokerages that promote coming-soon listings solely to internal agents.

“This violates the principle established in the last great real-estate anti-trust battle, settled in 2008, that all brokerage customers should be able to see all MLS listings.”

Industry Divides

Redfin’s announcement adds another layer to this industry debate. Here’s where key players stand:

• Zillow was the first to ban publicly marketed off-MLS listings from appearing on its platform.
• eXp Realty and NextHome quickly aligned with Zillow’s updated standards, committing to MLS-first marketing practices.
• Homes.com came out swinging, with CEO Andy Florance calling Zillow’s move “a pure power play of epic proportion,” arguing that the policy prioritizes Zillow’s lead-gen model over agent autonomy.
• Redfin will also ban publicly marketed off-MLS and is pushing for a new way for sellers to market listings pre-MLS.

Stay tuned for more.