Zillow on April 10 announced that an additional 28 brokerages have signed on to be part of its “Zillow Preview” premarketing program, bringing the total to “nearly 60,” according to the portal, as the industry continues to parse out the principles of this strategy.
The new companies appear to be mostly large regional brokerages, including the Keyes Family of Companies, based in Florida, which reported over $7 billion in sales last year according to RISMedia’s Power Broker Report, and Seven Gables Real Estate, based in California, which claimed almost $2.3 billion sales volume in 2025.
“Pre-market listings belong in the daylight—giving sellers the broadest possible exposure and giving all buyers access without the requirement to get past a registration wall or work with one particular brokerage,” said Errol Samuelson, chief industry development officer at Zillow, in a statement. “Zillow Preview delivers exactly that—early visibility, early demand signals, early momentum—all while providing equal, unfettered access for buyers.”
After initially taking a much harsher stance against listings marketed off-MLS (and off its own platforms), Zillow updated its rules last month at the same time it launched Zillow Preview. Zillow has positioned the program as an alternative approach to Compass’s “three-phase marketing plan,” a premarketing strategy that initially holds listings exclusively on the Compass platform, only visible to Compass agents.
Zillow has criticized that practice, and promised that it will still ban listings from its platforms if consumers are required to work with the listing brokerage to get access to the listing.
Zillow Preview essentially allows “Coming Soon” listings from participating brokerages to appear exclusively on Zillow platforms before they go on the MLS, with some perks and incentives for agents. Agents and sellers have the option not to report certain metrics during the Zillow Preview phase—most notably, days on market stats and price drops (a major point of contention on nearly all premarket programs).
The conversations around this type of marketing, and the debate over “exclusive” listings has been evolving fast. Experts and industry insiders have told RISMedia that premarketing offers real, tangible benefits to both agents and consumers, while disagreeing on the potential negative impacts.
Mike Pappas, CEO of The Keyes Family of Companies, said in a statement that his company is focused on the question of “what do consumers need right now?”
“Zillow Preview gives sellers and their agents a new choice: the ability to start marketing early while still reaching the broadest possible audience,” he said.
Compass, notably, has its own deal with Redfin, which will similarly syndicate the brokerage’s “Coming Soon” listings. But Compass has sought to pressure MLSs to loosen their restrictions on delayed marketing, while Zillow has vowed to respect local MLS policies on premarketing, which will limit how long a Zillow Preview listing can last.
Compass and Zillow have continued to publicly spar over their respective programs and priorities, even though Compass dropped its lawsuit against Zillow, claiming that updates to Zillow’s rules made the litigation moot.
Other companies have forged different paths—mostly notably eXp, which struck non-exclusive listing partnerships with three other platforms (Homes.com, Realtor®.com and HouseCanary). Howard Hanna also recently launched their own premarket platform, which was built in collaboration with MLS vendors.
In its announcement, Zillow claimed that its approach to premarketing is “resonating” with brokerages.
“Zillow was founded on transparency, and as the most visited real estate app and website in the United States, it plays a critical role in how consumers begin their journey,” said Jolene Weinstein, CEO and broker-owner of Intege Realty—another company that is now utilizing Zillow Preview. “Our clients hire and trust us to maximize, not limit, exposure for their homes.”
