Last Updated on May 12, 2026 by Elizabeth Nolan
If your brokerage is enrolled in Zillow Preview, your pre-market listings are about to get significantly more eyes. If you represent buyers, your search strategy just changed.
On May 5, 2026, Zillow and Realtor.com announced that Zillow Preview listings will automatically syndicate to Realtor.com — beginning this summer. Two platforms. One pre-market window. No extra steps required.
Here’s what it means on the ground.
What Is Zillow Preview?
Zillow Preview launched in March 2026. It gives participating brokerages a way to publicly display listings before they hit the MLS — visible to any buyer on Zillow and Trulia, no login required, no brokerage relationship required.
Think of it as a Coming Soon period with portal reach. The key distinctions:
- The listing appears publicly before MLS activation
- Search placement is prioritized in results and saved-home alerts
- Days on market and price history display are seller- and agent-controlled during the Preview phase
- No cost to the seller or listing agent at enrolled brokerages
Enrolled brokerages (60+) include: Keller Williams, RE/MAX, HomeServices of America, Side, Engel & Völkers, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices, and United Real Estate. Individual agents cannot opt into Zillow Preview directly — enrollment is brokerage-level. Check with your broker-in-charge.
What Changed on May 5
The new Realtor.com partnership means Zillow Preview listings will now cross-syndicate to Realtor.com as “Realtor.com Preview” listings — automatically, with no additional brokerage relationship required on the Realtor.com side.
Combined reach: Zillow’s ~235 million average monthly users + Realtor.com’s ~70 million monthly users. Together, the two portals reach roughly three-quarters of active home shoppers in the U.S.
The revenue share terms agents receive through Zillow Preview apply to both platforms. If a qualified connection from either a Zillow Preview or Realtor.com Preview listing closes through a Zillow Preferred Agent, the listing agent may receive a revenue share — paid by Zillow, not the consumer.
Preview vs. SmartMLS Coming Soon: How They Actually Compare
How does Zillow Preview actually compare to the Coming Soon status already in most MLS. The short answer: each solves similar problems but operate very differently. I’ve broken down the key differences in the chart below. The Coming Soon rules reflect SmartMLS, which is the MLS I work in here in Connecticut. If you’re on a different MLS, the core mechanics of Zillow Preview will be the same, but your Coming Soon rules may vary — check your handbook before you activate anything.
| Zillow / Realtor.com Preview | SmartMLS Coming Soon | |
|---|---|---|
| Where buyers find it | Zillow, Trulia + Realtor.com Realtor.com syndication launches summer 2026 |
Realtor.com + IDX broker/agent sites Included in MLS auto emails; not on Zillow |
| Visible to public without agent login | Yes — fully public No login or brokerage affiliation required |
Yes — via Realtor.com & IDX Labeled as Coming Soon on syndicated sites |
| Showings allowed during pre-market period | No Tours pre-booked for go-live date only |
No — MLS rules violation Subject to fine; same-day showings required once Active |
| Open houses during pre-market period | No | No — broker or public Can schedule ahead but date must be on/after Go Active date |
| Offers presented during pre-market period | No formal mechanism Listing is pre-MLS; no offer platform active |
No — not permitted No offers can be presented during Coming Soon |
| Go Active date required at entry | No Agent-controlled; local MLS rules govern timing |
Yes — required Must be set before listing can be saved as Coming Soon |
| Go Active date can be moved earlier | N/A — no fixed date | No — cannot be shortened Canceling & relisting Active early = automatic fine |
| Go Active date can be pushed later | N/A — no fixed date | Yes — with new/initialed addendum Seller must sign updated Coming Soon Addendum |
| Automatically goes Active | No Preview is replaced when MLS listing syndicates to Zillow |
Yes — at midnight on Go Active date Do not have listing open in Add/Edit at midnight |
| Days on market counted | No DOM/price history display is agent-controlled |
No DOM begins accruing on Go Active date |
| Maximum pre-market window | Agent-controlled SmartMLS requires MLS entry within 1 business day of public marketing |
14 days from entry date Go Active date must be within 14 days of entry in connectMLS |
| Required seller paperwork | Listing agreement only No additional MLS addendum required |
Listing agreement + Coming Soon Addendum Both must be uploaded before listing can be saved as Coming Soon |
| Enrollment / access | Brokerage must enroll Individual agents cannot opt in directly |
Any SmartMLS subscriber Available to all licensed members |
| Cost to seller / agent | Free at enrolled brokerages | Included with MLS membership |
Coming Soon rules reflect SmartMLS (connectMLS), the MLS I operate in as a licensed agent in Fairfield County, Connecticut. Rules vary significantly by MLS — verify your own handbook before activating any pre-market status.
For Listing Agents: What You Need to Know Before the Conversation
1. Check your brokerage’s enrollment status first. You cannot enroll in Zillow Preview as an individual agent. If your brokerage isn’t yet participating, that’s a conversation to have with your leadership. Brokerages interested in the program can submit interest directly to Zillow.
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2. Understand what you’re actually controlling. During the Preview phase, you and the seller decide whether days on market and price history appear on the listing. This matters for pricing strategy — especially on properties where you want to build demand before go-live without that data working against you.
3. Know the “Request a Tour” routing issue — because sellers will ask. The “Request a Tour” button on Zillow listings — Preview or otherwise — routes the buyer to a Zillow Preferred Agent, not the listing agent. The listing agent is only contacted through the “Contact Listing Agent” button. If the Preferred Agent closes the deal, the listing agent receives revenue share. If a buyer comes through the listing agent contact button directly, that’s a free connection.
This routing has generated significant industry criticism and is the subject of an active federal class-action lawsuit. Be transparent with sellers about how buyer inquiries actually flow before they see it play out and wonder why their agent didn’t get the call.
4. Have a clear pre-market plan. Zillow Preview isn’t MLS Coming Soon — it’s a separate, portal-specific tool that runs before MLS activation. Make sure your seller understands the sequence: Preview period → MLS active. And make sure your pre-market marketing plan is in place before you activate Preview so you’re capturing the demand the window creates.
Placement and Lead Routing: What Non-Enrolled Agents Are Missing
Both Zillow and Realtor.com have confirmed that Preview listings receive elevated placement in search results and saved-home alerts during the pre-market period — a boost that standard MLS Coming Soon listings do not receive on either platform. On Zillow, this is already visible: Preview listings surface above regular Coming Soon inventory in search results. On Realtor.com, the same elevated placement is built into the partnership terms for when Preview launches this summer. If your brokerage isn’t enrolled in Zillow Preview, your SmartMLS Coming Soon listings will appear on both platforms — but without the placement priority that Preview listings carry. In a market where buyers are setting saved searches and acting fast, that positioning gap is real.
On both platforms, Preview listings display two contact options. Direct inquiries to the listing agent are free — no referral fee, no routing through a third-party program. But when a buyer clicks to connect with a local buyer’s agent instead, that connection routes through each portal’s paid agent network. On Zillow, that’s Zillow Preferred Agents. On Realtor.com, the equivalent programs are Connections Plus and ReadyConnect Concierge — and while Realtor.com hasn’t officially specified which of those programs will handle Preview buyer connections, the routing structure will mirror Zillow’s. If a buyer who first engaged through a Preview listing later closes with one of those paid-network agents, the listing agent may receive a revenue share — paid by the portal, not the consumer.
This is already happening on Realtor.com. SmartMLS Coming Soon listings syndicate to Realtor.com today. That means Connections Plus agents enrolled in your zip are already receiving buyer inquiry leads from your Coming Soon listing pages — right now, regardless of Preview enrollment. This isn’t a future concern; it’s the current state of the market.
Your Enrollment Scenario: What You’re Actually Getting
Zillow Preview enrollment works at the brokerage level. Zillow Preferred (formerly Flex) works at the agent level. Those are two separate opt-ins — and most agents haven’t thought through how their combination affects both their listings and their buyer lead flow.
| Listing placement | Preview with priority boost on Zillow + Realtor.com |
| “Contact listing agent” | Goes directly to you — free |
| “Take a tour” routing | Routes to Preferred agent — could be you if you hold the zip |
| If you don’t respond | Falls to a Preferred agent; revenue share still applies |
| Revenue share | Yes — paid by Zillow through your brokerage |
| Listing placement | Preview with priority boost — brokerage enrollment is all that’s required |
| “Contact listing agent” | Goes directly to you — free |
| “Take a tour” routing | Routes to a Preferred agent in market — not you |
| If you don’t respond | Falls to Preferred agent; brokerage earns revenue share |
| Revenue share | Goes to brokerage — confirm with your broker how it flows to you |
| Your listing placement | No Preview boost. SmartMLS Coming Soon on IDX/Realtor.com only, no priority. |
| “Take a tour” on your listings | Preferred agents in the zip capture those buyer inquiries |
| What Preferred gets you | You receive buyer leads routed from other brokerages’ Preview listings in your zips |
| Revenue share | No — brokerage not enrolled in Preview |
| Listing placement | No Preview boost. Standard MLS Active on Zillow; SmartMLS Coming Soon on IDX/Realtor.com only. |
| “Take a tour” routing | Buyer inquiries on your listings go to Preferred agents holding those zips |
| Buyer leads received | No Preferred routing in either direction |
| Revenue share | No |
Scenario C deserves attention.
If you’re in Zillow Preferred but your brokerage hasn’t enrolled in Preview, you’re actively receiving buyer leads routed from other brokerages’ Preview listings in your zips — while your own listings sit without the placement boost. You’re feeding the system on the buyer side without getting the listing side advantage. That’s worth a conversation with your broker.
On Scenario B revenue share:
when revenue share flows to the brokerage rather than directly to the listing agent, whether any of it reaches you depends on your individual split agreement. Ask your broker-in-charge how Preview revenue share is handled before your first Preview listing goes live.
For Buyer Agents: Update Your Search Routine
Pre-market inventory is growing. If you’re only monitoring active MLS listings and your local board’s Coming Soon status, you’re missing properties.
Add this to your buyer consultation: let clients know that Preview listings exist on both Zillow and Realtor.com — labeled as “Preview” — and that they can see them without creating an account or being affiliated with any brokerage. This matters especially for buyers in low-inventory markets or with tight criteria. A Preview listing in the right neighborhood gives you a few days’ runway before competition hits.
Practical steps:
- Set saved searches on Zillow that include Pre-Market listings
- Check for the “Preview” label on Realtor.com search results starting this summer
- When you see a Preview listing your buyer wants to tour, contact the listing agent directly — don’t rely on the “Request a Tour” button to reach them
- Note: Preview is available in all U.S. markets except New York City, where StreetEasy is developing a separate offering
Where This Fits in the Bigger Picture
This partnership is a direct counter to the private exclusive strategies gaining ground since NAR amended the Clear Cooperation Policy in March 2025 to allow public marketing before MLS entry. Compass has been explicit about its three-phase exclusive marketing strategy — listing within Compass first, then broader. Zillow’s response is to make public pre-marketing more attractive by expanding reach, adding financial incentives, and partnering with a competitor portal.
The two models are heading for a real test in 2026. Zillow Preview argues that maximum public exposure from day one delivers the best seller outcome. Compass argues that controlled early exposure to a qualified buyer pool does. Both are legal under current rules. The right answer for your client depends on their property, their timeline, and their market — not on which platform makes the better press release.
Your job is to know both options well enough to give an honest recommendation.
Pre-Marketing Without Violating Clear Cooperation: The How to Agent’s Playbook
What to Do Right Now
- Confirm your brokerage’s Zillow Preview enrollment status — yes, no, or planned
- If enrolled in Zillow Preview and not in Zillow Preferred: understand that “Take a Tour” buyer leads on your Preview listings route to someone else
- If in Zillow Preferred but brokerage not enrolled in Preview: talk to your broker about the listing-side gap
- Update your buyer consultation to include pre-market sources on both portals
- Prepare a talking point for sellers on the “Request a Tour” routing so they’re not surprised
- Ask your broker-in-charge how Preview revenue share flows through your specific split agreement
