You may have heard that REALTORS are not allowed to market listings as “coming soon”. I’ve known that this is not always in the best interest of the seller, but had to comply as long as I was part of the National Association of REALTORS ( NAR ). Since I now own and operator my own Non-NAR brokerage, I am able to discuss the options with each seller that best suit their needs and fulfill my duties as their listing agent accordingly.
FREEDOM to do the right thing is simply awesome!
When I first learned about the NAR Clear Cooperation rules, this next line stood out to me… “this policy aims to promote transparency and equal access to listings for all buyers and agents.”
This reminds me of the time an open house shopper was furious at my wife to learn that the seller of our listing accepted an offer minutes before the open house he showed up at. It’s Not Fair!!! He exclaimed. He was so mad that he gave us our first and only 1 Star review on Google.
This buyer clearly did not comprehend that it’s the SELLER’S property. THEIR INVESTMENT to do as they will and that our job is to help them get the best result we can for them. Sometimes that means a super fast result.
Prior to the “no-coming-soon marketing” rule that was imposed on us several years ago, I had some great success negotiating fast contracts for sellers from buyers who knew they had to pony up if they wanted to get the house before it hit the internet. The sellers were very happy to cut the process short and get the price they wanted. The buyers made an offer they were comfortable with and all was good.
When we were no longer allowed to explore that option for the sellers, I firmly believed that they were catering to buyer’s agents at the cost of proper representation of the seller’s best interests.
Unless the laws of the State of Florida says otherwise, Slice of Florida Realty will explore all legal and ethical opportunities that best serve our clients and customers.
For additional context…
The following was generated by Googles Search AI Overview.
The National Association of Realtors (NAR) discourages "coming soon" marketing primarily because of their "Clear Cooperation Policy," which mandates that any property being publicly marketed by a realtor must be listed on the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) within one business day, effectively preventing agents from holding a property back with "coming soon" status to potentially gain an unfair advantage by limiting buyer access and potentially favoring their own clients; this policy aims to promote transparency and equal access to listings for all buyers and agents.
Key points about the NAR's stance on "coming soon" marketing:
Fairness and Transparency:
The main goal is to ensure all buyers have equal access to available properties and prevent situations where certain agents might try to "pocket list" a property by keeping it off the MLS for an extended period to benefit their own clients. MLS Listing Requirement:
Under the Clear Cooperation Policy, if a realtor is actively marketing a property as "coming soon," they must immediately enter it into the MLS to make it visible to all participating agents.
Potential for Abuse:
Previously, some agents used "coming soon" listings to strategically limit showings and potentially favor certain buyers, which the NAR policy aims to address.
https://www.nar.realtor/about-nar/policies/mls-clear-cooperation-policy
Written by: Steve Martin Smith
Licensed Real Estate Broker and owner of Slice Of Florida Realty in Sarasota County Florida.
