Today, Zillow announced Zillow Preview, a new product designed to bring pre-market listings, often labeled as “coming soon,” into public view on Zillow and Trulia before they officially go active on the MLS.
Zillow Preview is set to roll out next month, with initial participation from major brokerages including Keller Williams, RE/MAX, HomeServices of America, Side, and United Real Estate.
The move is being positioned as a pro-consumer push for transparency. But zoom out, and it’s also a clear response to private listing networks being built by brokerages.
What Zillow Preview Does
Zillow Preview allows agents to publicly market listings during the pre-market phase, rather than limiting exposure to internal brokerage networks or smaller audiences.
During this preview period, listings can:
- Appear in Zillow and Trulia search results
- Be saved and shared by buyers
- Allow buyers to connect with the listing agent or a Zillow partner agent
- Enable early tour scheduling before the listing goes fully live
Zillow framed the release as part of its broader positioning around consumer access and visibility.
“For 20 years, Zillow has been guided by a simple idea: Real estate works best when information is open and accessible. No one should have to obligate themselves to an agent from a specific brokerage just to know the full breadth of inventory available. Zillow Preview shines a light on listings that might otherwise stay hidden, giving buyers open access to their options and sellers the broad exposure they deserve.”
How This Differs From the Compass & Redfin Partnership
Zillow Preview enters the market just weeks after another major shift in listing distribution.
Last month, Compass and Rocket Companies announced a partnership with Redfin to expand the visibility of Compass’ pre-market listings. That agreement aims to bring more than 500,000 “coming soon” properties onto Redfin’s platform, while also integrating mortgage offerings into the experience.
At a high level, both moves reflect the same broader trend: listings are no longer introduced to the market in a single step. Instead, exposure is becoming more layered, timed, and platform-driven.
Where they begin to differ is in how that early exposure is handled, particularly when it comes to visibility and MLS alignment.
Compass has built its strategy around phased marketing, where listings may begin as “Private Exclusives” or “Coming Soon” before eventually entering the MLS. While Compass and Redfin have stated that these listings comply with MLS rules once publicly marketed, the early stages of exposure can vary depending on how and where the listing is shared.
Zillow, on the other hand, is taking a more explicit stance on visibility during that pre-market window.
The company has been increasingly vocal about its position on private listing networks, first implementing a ban on private listings in 2025. That policy became a focal point in its legal dispute with Compass, which is still ongoing after a judge ruled earlier this year that Zillow can continue enforcing its private listing ban as the case proceeds.
Zillow Preview builds on that stance.
Rather than limiting early exposure, the product is designed to keep pre-market listings fully visible to the public, while still operating within MLS guidelines. As Zillow stated in its release, the feature works “within MLS frameworks and supports brokers and agents in complying with local rules,” while making listings “publicly visible instead of confined to closed systems.”
In practice, Zillow and Compass are leaning into the same shift toward pre-market strategy. But the key distinction is how each approach balances early access, public visibility, and control over distribution.
Brokerage Support and Industry Alignment
Several major brokerages have already signed on to participate in Zillow Preview, signaling alignment around increased exposure during the pre-market phase.
“As an independent company, we support efforts that make the real estate marketplace more transparent. Ensuring that consumers, our franchisees, and agents have meaningful choice will always guide our approach.”
“REMAX has long believed that transparency and the broadest distribution of listings gives buyers and sellers the best outcome. By partnering with Zillow Preview, we are furthering our philosophy that consumers come first and empowering agents to amplify pre-market listing exposure not only through the incredible global reach of remax.com but also through the country’s most visited real estate portal. This is exactly what consumers want and deserve as they navigate one of life’s biggest transactions.”
“Transparency is what is best for our industry, and this partnership with Zillow creates an ideal mechanism to generate broader visibility and awareness of a listing to the marketplace. “The HomeServices of America family of real estate professionals is excited to support a product that further enhances the buyer and seller experience.”
Other participating firms, including Side and United Real Estate, also emphasized themes of consumer access, visibility, and agent flexibility in their statements.
How the Product Works for Agents
Zillow Preview introduces several features aimed at both exposure and engagement during the pre-market period.
According to Zillow, participating agents can benefit from:
- Increased visibility through placement in search results and alerts
- Buyer connections, with the option for consumers to reach out directly to the listing agent or another agent
- Revenue participation opportunities tied to transactions generated through Zillow’s network
Importantly, Zillow noted that any revenue share tied to these connections is paid by Zillow and does not increase costs for consumers or agents, with commissions remaining negotiable.
The structure is designed to integrate with Zillow’s existing ecosystem while extending its role earlier in the listing lifecycle.
As listing strategies become more layered, agents and brokerages will need to be more intentional than ever about how, when, and where their listings are introduced to the market.
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