New MLS Policy Provides Privacy Options for Sellers
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Richard Haddad Executive EditorClose
Richard Haddad Executive EditorRichard Haddad is the executive editor of HomeLight.com. He works with an experienced content team that oversees the company’s blog featuring in-depth articles about the home buying and selling process, homeownership news, home care and design tips, and related real estate trends. Previously, he served as an editor and content producer for World Company, Gannett, and Western News & Info, where he also served as news director and director of internet operations.
If you’re planning to sell your home soon, a new policy from the National Association of Realtors (NAR) could give you more control over how your listing is shared, who sees it, and when.
The recently announced Multiple Listing Options for Sellers policy works alongside NAR’s existing Clear Cooperation Policy (CCP) to offer sellers more marketing choices — including greater privacy during the early stages of selling a home.
“NAR continually evaluates its MLS policies to ensure they best serve our members and their consumers while also mitigating and avoiding potential legal risks,” said NAR President Kevin Sears in a public statement. “We are pleased to have found a solution that reflects the best and balanced interests of the industry.”
In this guide, we’ll break down what the new listing policy means for sellers, how it could affect buyers, and what you need to know if you choose to employ this more private marketing option. We’ll also share insights on why encouraging private listings is causing a stir in the industry.
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What is the ‘Multiple Listing Options for Sellers’ policy?
The Multiple Listing Options for Sellers policy is a new rule designed to give home sellers more control over when and how their listings are shared online. It adds a new category of exempt listings called a “delayed marketing exempt listing” to the marketing options sellers already have under existing NAR policies.
Here’s how it works:
- Delayed marketing exempt listings allow sellers to delay the public advertising of their home through Internet Data Exchange (IDX) feeds and syndication to third-party websites like Realtor.com, Zillow, and Homes.com.
- While the listing must still be submitted to the MLS and visible to other MLS participants and subscribers, broad public advertising is held back for a set period of time.
- Each MLS can decide how long the delayed marketing period lasts in its local market. NAR encourages MLSs to work with agents and brokers to determine the appropriate timeframe before the September 30, 2025, implementation deadline.
- Sellers who choose this option must sign a disclosure form acknowledging that they understand the benefits they are waiving by delaying full public marketing.
This new policy is meant to give sellers more flexibility while maintaining transparency and cooperation among real estate professionals. As NAR explains, the new approach “preserves CCP while enabling a new marketing choice for sellers and their agents.”
Here’s a quick comparison of the seller options under NAR’s policies:
| Option | Privacy level | What it means |
| Full MLS listing | Low | Listing is shared publicly with all agents and consumer websites through IDX and syndication. |
| Office exclusive exempt listing | Higher | Listing is kept private within the agent’s brokerage and not publicly marketed. |
| Delayed marketing exempt listing | Moderate to high | Listing is visible to MLS participants but not advertised publicly through IDX or syndication for a set period of time. |
“Our goal is and always has been to foster an efficient, fair and transparent real estate market for consumers and to help brokers and agents carry out their ethical duty to put their clients’ interests first,” NAR said in a press release.
What does the new listing policy mean for sellers?
For sellers, the new Multiple Listing Options for Sellers policy offers more ways to customize how your home is marketed — especially if you value privacy or want to strategically time your sale process.
Before this change, most sellers had just two clear options: either list publicly on the MLS immediately or keep the listing private through an office exclusive, often referred to as a “Pocket Listing” or “Secret Listing.” Now, with the addition of delayed marketing exempt listings, you have a middle-ground choice that gives you more control over how and when your home appears on consumer websites.
Here’s what each option could mean for you:
- Full active MLS listing: Your home is listed publicly through the MLS, displayed on agent websites, public listing portals like Realtor.com, Zillow, and Homes.com, and promoted widely. This option usually gives you the most exposure and potential buyer interest right away, but very little privacy.
- Office exclusive exempt listing: Your home is marketed privately within your agent’s brokerage without public advertising. This path might appeal to sellers who want to keep their sale discreet for personal, security, or business reasons. While this is typically an off-MLS approach, your agent may still need to submit your listing to the MLS for documentation purposes, but it will not be shared with other agents or made publicly visible.
- Delayed marketing exempt listing: Your home is entered into the MLS but held back from public advertising (such as IDX feeds and third-party websites) for a set period. You and your agent can still market the property during this time through private channels like a brokerage website, direct emails, yard signs, or word of mouth. Once the delayed period ends, your listing can then move to full public marketing if you choose.
NAR’s new policy does not change an MLS’s local submission deadlines or the CCP requirement that participants “must distribute exempt listings within (1) one business day once the listing is publicly marketed.” So even if you’re using an office exclusive exempt listing, if you put up a yard sign or post about your home for sale on social media, your house must then be publicly listed on the MLS within one business day.
NAR emphasizes that this new rule and other MLS policies “provide sellers and their agents more options and choice when marketing a property, while also supporting fair housing by providing buyers and their agents with equal access to important MLS property information.”
Important things to keep in mind:
- You’ll need to sign a disclosure form if you choose a delayed marketing or office exclusive listing, acknowledging that you understand the benefits you are giving up by limiting your listing’s public exposure.
- Choosing more privacy may limit how many buyers see your home at first, which could influence how quickly you receive offers or impact your final sale price.
- Each local MLS will decide how long delayed marketing is allowed, so options may vary depending on where you live.
At the end of the day, the new policy gives you and your agent more tools to create a marketing plan that fits your specific needs, whether you want a fast sale, maximum privacy, or something in between.
Is there an impact on seller proceeds? A recent nationwide study by Zillow found that homes sold off the MLS typically sold for about $5,000 less than those listed on the MLS, a median loss of 1.5%. A similar study from Bright MLS reported that homes listed on the MLS sold for an average of 17.5% more, giving the typical on-MLS seller as much as an additional $54,000 in proceeds.
What does the new listing policy mean for buyers?
While the Multiple Listing Options for Sellers policy is primarily designed to help home sellers, it can also affect buyers — mainly in how and when they find out about available homes.
Because delayed marketing exempt listings are submitted to the MLS but held back from broad public advertising, buyers’ agents can still view these listings through the MLS. That means buyers who are working closely with an agent may gain early access to properties that aren’t yet widely advertised on third-party sites or portals.
However, if you’re relying mostly on public home search websites, you might notice fewer listings appearing right away, depending on how many sellers in your market choose to delay public marketing.
Concerns and questions about the new listing policy
While the Multiple Listing Options for Sellers policy is designed to provide more flexibility, it hasn’t come without questions and concerns from some industry professionals and consumer advocates.
Here are a few concerns that have been raised:
- Potential for reduced transparency: Some critics worry that allowing delayed marketing could make it harder for buyers who rely only on public search sites to see the full range of available homes right away. This could create an uneven playing field between buyers who have agents and those who do not.
- Impact on fair housing efforts: Maintaining open access to listings has long been seen as a way to promote fair housing. If more listings are delayed from public view, some experts wonder whether this could unintentionally create barriers for certain buyers or open a new door for discriminatory practices.
- Varying local rules: Because each MLS can set its own delayed marketing period, the specifics of how long listings are withheld could vary widely by region. Some industry watchers have noted this could create confusion for both agents and clients moving between different markets.
- Market fragmentation and confusion: Opposed observers say adding more private or semi-private options creates an inefficient market that does little to benefit buyers and sellers. In addition, the expanded listing policy could add more confusion on top of other landmark NAR rule changes implemented in August last year.
Still, NAR leadership sees the policy as a balanced solution. “The Leadership Team and I are grateful for the support, engagement, and passion that our members have shown throughout this process,” Sears said in the NAR announcement.
Overall, NAR says the new policy keeps the core of the Clear Cooperation Policy (CCP) intact, ensuring that listings must still be shared within the MLS system even if public advertising is delayed.
To learn more about the new Multiple Listing Options for Sellers policy and last year’s commission rule changes, visit the National Association of Realtors “Get the Facts” page at nar.realtor/the-facts.
The new NAR policy is creating turbulence within the industry as some companies speak out against what they consider an anti-consumer practice of encouraging sellers to list homes off-market (private listings). Zillow and eXp Realty recently announced plans to remove for-sale listings from their platforms unless they are sourced from an MLS. Zillow has stated: “A listing marketed to any buyer should be marketed to every buyer.”
Is the new listing policy helpful to you?
The new Multiple Listing Options for Sellers policy can be a helpful tool if you want more control over how your home is marketed.
For many sellers, a full MLS listing with broad public exposure still makes the most sense — especially if your top goal is to attract multiple offers quickly. But for others, having the ability to delay public advertising or pursue a private sale within a brokerage can offer important benefits.
The new policy might be helpful if you:
- Prefer a more private selling experience
- Want to limit early public exposure while preparing your home for a full launch
- Need to manage the timing of your broader marketing based on personal or financial considerations
- Are concerned about privacy for security, business, or personal reasons, such as during a divorce or family crisis
No matter which path you choose, your agent will eventually file your listing with the MLS to ensure cooperation with other agents — maintaining fair access for buyers working with real estate professionals.
If you think you might want to limit how your home is marketed, it’s a good idea to talk through the options carefully with your agent. They can help you weigh the benefits and trade-offs based on your goals, the condition of your home, and the current conditions in your local market.
Talk to a top agent about your best listing option
Choosing how to market your home is a big decision — and now, you have even more options to find the right approach for your situation and selling objectives.
Whether you want the broad reach of a full MLS listing, the privacy of an office exclusive, or the added control of a delayed marketing strategy, a top real estate agent can help you make the best choice.
HomeLight partners with nearly 30,000 top-rated agents nationwide who understand how to guide sellers through these important decisions. An experienced agent can explain the benefits and limitations of each listing option, help you weigh your priorities, and build a marketing plan that fits your needs.
If you’re ready to sell your home — or even just thinking about your options — HomeLight’s free Agent Match platform can connect you with a trusted agent in your city. It’s a no-cost, no-obligation first step.
More home-seller resources from HomeLight:
- Home Value Estimator
- Best time to Sell Calculator
- Agent Commissions Calculator
- Net Proceeds Calculator
- Get a no-obligation all-cash offer
- HomeLight Buy Before Your Sell Program
- Recently sold homes map
Header Image Source: (Curtis Adams/ Pexels)
- "NAR Introduces New Flexibility for Sellers While Retaining Clear Cooperation Policy", National Association of REALTORS® (March 2025)
- "CONSUMER GUIDE: ALTERNATIVE LISTING OPTIONS", National Association of REALTORS® (April 2025)
- "NAR Introduces New MLS Policy to Expand Choice for Consumers", National Association of REALTORS (March 2025)
- "Off-MLS Home Sellers Left More Than $1 Billion on the Table the Past Two Years", Zillow (February 2025)
- "Bright MLS Releases 2023 On-MLS Study", Southern Maryland Association of Realtors® (August 2023)
- "Zillow and eXp announce consumer-first commitment to real estate transparency", Yahoo! (April 2025)
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