A Smarter Way to Bring Your Home to Market
If you’ve been following real estate news lately, you may have seen conversations around new partnerships between Compass and Redfin, and questions about how that could impact where listings appear, including Zillow.
We’ve been getting a version of the same question from sellers:
“Will my home still show up everywhere, and does it matter if it doesn’t?”
Here’s what you actually need to know.
Why Strategy Matters More Than Ever
In today’s market, the biggest risk for most sellers is not lack of exposure; it’s overexposure at the wrong price.
When a home sits on the market or requires a public price drop, it can impact how buyers perceive value. That’s why more sellers are focusing on how their home is introduced, not just where it shows up.
A Three Phase Approach to Listing Your Home
A more strategic rollout allows you to test pricing and build demand before going fully live:
Phase 1: Private Exposure
Share your home with a network of agents and qualified buyers to gather feedback and test pricing privately, without days on market or public price history.
Phase 2: Coming Soon Promotion
Create early visibility and demand while maintaining flexibility. Your home can be marketed and even shown, depending on the approach, without the pressure of being fully active. Why don’t
Phase 3: Full Market Launch
Go live on the MLS with stronger positioning, better pricing confidence, and momentum already in place.
What’s Changed: Expanded Early Exposure
One of the biggest shifts in today’s market is how we can now amplify Phase 2—Coming Soon to reach more buyers, earlier.
Through Compass’s partnership with Redfin, your home can reach a large pool of buyers before it officially hits the market. During this phase, listings may appear on both Compass and Redfin, expanding exposure to millions of active buyers while still maintaining control over pricing and positioning.
What this means for you:
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More exposure, earlier – Your home can gain visibility (and even premium placement) before going live
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No public days on market – We can build interest without accumulating days on market
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No visible price drop history – Pricing can be refined privately
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Direct connection to serious buyers – Inquiries come directly to us
In other words, this allows us to build momentum during the Coming Soon phase, so when your home officially launches, it does so with stronger positioning and demand.
What About Zillow?
This is where most of the confusion is right now.
Depending on how a home is marketed during the early phases, there is a possibility it may not immediately appear on Zillow once it goes fully live.
So the real question becomes: Is being on Zillow the most important factor in selling your home?
For most sellers, the answer is no and here’s why:
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The majority of serious buyers work with agents
Agents search directly through the MLS, not Zillow. Your home is fully visible to them regardless. -
Buyers don’t rely on just one website
In addition to Zillow, buyers are actively searching on platforms like Realtor.com, Homes.com, and Redfin where your home will appear. -
Exposure is not the main risk, pricing is
A home that launches too high and requires a price drop can lose momentum quickly. A more controlled rollout helps avoid that. -
You’re not losing visibility, you’re changing the timing of it
The strategy is about building demand before full exposure, rather than relying on a single “day one” moment.
That said, this is not a one-size-fits-all decision.
For some sellers, maximum, immediate visibility across every platform is still the right approach. For others, a more controlled launch offers a meaningful advantage.
What This Means for You as a Seller
This isn’t about avoiding Zillow or picking one platform over another.
It’s about choosing the right strategy for your goals:
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Do you want to test pricing before going fully public?
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Do you want to minimize the risk of price reductions?
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Or do you prefer maximum exposure from day one?
There is no “one right answer” and only the right answer for you.
The Bottom Line
The way your home comes to market can impact your final result just as much as pricing or timing.
Our role at Pearlman Meekin & Co. is to walk you through these options, explain the tradeoffs clearly, and help you make a confident, informed decision.
If you’re curious how this would apply to your home, we’re always happy to talk it through.
