Zillow Preview listings went live on Realtor.com on Sept. 17, giving participating agents another major portal for marketing homes before they become active MLS listings. The properties appear as Realtor.com Preview Listings, and buyers can view them without a special login or brokerage relationship.
Participating listing agents can get broader premarket exposure, free direct connections when buyers choose to contact them, and potential revenue participation on certain closed transactions. Access and payouts depend on brokerage participation, buyer behavior, and local rules.
How Zillow Preview works on Realtor.com
The rollout puts into effect a partnership announced in May. Zillow Preview lets participating brokerages publish homes publicly before they become active listings, giving sellers a way to build interest while a property is still being prepared for showings.
Preview listings are clearly labeled and receive higher visibility in search and saved-home alerts on both platforms. Buyers can save a property, contact the listing agent, or connect with a buyer’s agent before the home officially hits the market.
More than 400 brokerage partners are now enrolled in Zillow Preview, up from more than 60 when the Realtor.com partnership was announced in May. The companies also say Zillow and Realtor.com together reach about three-quarters of visitors to major real estate portals, citing Comscore.
Individual agents cannot sign themselves up. Preview is available through participating brokerages, so agents first need to confirm that their brokerage has joined the program.
Agents get broader exposure and new lead opportunities
Preview gives participating listing agents broader exposure before a property’s active-market launch. Direct connections depend on buyer choice. Consumers can contact the listing agent or connect with a local buyer’s agent, and direct inquiries to the listing agent through Zillow or Realtor.com are free. Added exposure does not guarantee that every buyer inquiry will reach the listing agent.
There is also a revenue component. If a qualified Preview connection results in a closed transaction through a qualified partner agent, the listing agent may receive a share of the revenue through the brokerage. The Sept. 17 announcement does not specify a universal payout amount, so agents should treat it as a conditional benefit rather than guaranteed income.
What the performance data shows
Zillow says an analysis of Preview listings created from March 23 through Aug. 1 found 18% more pageviews, 9% more shares, and 7% more saves than comparable non-Preview listings during their first 14 days on Zillow.
The company excluded Showcase and IMX listings from the comparison. The figures measure engagement, not whether Preview homes sell faster, spend fewer days on market, or command higher prices. For listing agents, the data offers an early read on buyer attention before a property reaches the active market, rather than evidence of a stronger sales outcome.
Brokerage and MLS rules still apply
Brokerage eligibility comes first, followed closely by local MLS rules. Preview is designed to operate within existing MLS frameworks, but agents and brokers remain responsible for following their market’s premarketing policies. The rollout also comes amid a broader debate over phased and private marketing, where Compass and Zillow have published competing seller-outcome data.
If public premarketing is not allowed locally, the property should not be published through Preview. Agents should also confirm how their brokerage handles buyer connections and revenue participation before discussing those benefits with sellers.
For participating agents, Preview opens a public premarket window across two major portals and provides early signals about buyer interest before MLS activation. It does not guarantee a specific number of leads or a revenue-share payment, so agents should understand their brokerage’s terms before promising either to sellers.