The three-path map, the path comparison, and the choice record — prepared by Edmund Bogen
Walk into the listing appointment and beat the agent who only knows one path. Sellers are now being offered three ways to market a home: privately inside one brokerage, in a pre-market preview, or fully public on the MLS and the portals. In this session we build the seller's one-page map live, with AI prompts, from your own MLS, brokerage and portal rules. Then the side-by-side for this seller's goals, and the written record of what they chose and when you'll look again. Built on rules and studies verified October 2, 2026, with examples from Florida to Washington State.
The listing appointment has a new question in it: private, preview, or public? The agent who can explain only one path is about to lose the listing to the agent who can explain all three. Zillow Preview pre-market listings went live on Realtor.com on September 17, 2026, with more than 400 brokerages enrolled. Compass rebuilt its website around early-stage listings five days later. Three states have passed laws on the subject. Your sellers are hearing about it, and they will ask you.
Three paths. One listing. The agent who can explain all three gets it.
We will master 3 systems live, together:
1️⃣ The Three-Path Map — turn your MLS rules, your brokerage's options and the portals' published policies into one page a seller can read — with the source and date on every line
2️⃣ The Path Comparison — set the three paths side by side for this home and this seller's goals, show what your local data can and can't prove, and check any study the seller has been quoted
3️⃣ The Choice Record — answer the path questions without running down another agent, put the seller's informed choice in writing, and set the date that triggers a switch
Register for the SessionVerified October 2, 2026: national policy, the portals, and how far the rules differ by MLS and by state
| Path | What it is | Names you'll hear | Who can see the home |
|---|---|---|---|
| Private | The seller directs that the home not go out through the MLS and not be publicly marketed. NAR's term: office exclusive exempt listing. | Office exclusive · private exclusive · pocket listing | The listing brokerage's agents and their buyers. NAR: one-to-one, broker-to-broker conversations are not public marketing; sharing across several brokerages is. |
| Preview | The home is filed with the MLS or shown on a pre-market platform before the full public launch. NAR's term: delayed marketing exempt listing. | Coming soon · delayed marketing · delayed distribution · First Look · Zillow Preview | It depends on the tool. Some are visible to every MLS member; some are public on a portal; some sit on one brokerage's site. |
| Public | Active in the MLS and distributed to brokerage sites and the portals. | Active · Active (Internet Yes) | Every agent and every buyer. |
THE RULE THAT RUNS THIS WORKBOOK
The seller chooses the path. You explain all three. NAR Legal Affairs tells brokers to walk the seller through office exclusives, pre-marketing and full MLS exposure "and the practical pros and cons of each," then confirm the seller's informed choice, get the required disclosure, watch for public marketing, and check local rules.
NAR policy applies to REALTOR®-association-owned MLSs. Some MLSs are not NAR-affiliated — Northwest MLS in Washington is one — and set their own rules. Verified October 2, 2026.
Where a private or pre-market listing can and cannot appear. These policies changed several times in 2026 — put a date on every line.
| Player | Position today | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Zillow Listing Access Standards | Since March 17, 2026 the test is whether a publicly marketed listing is "broadly accessible" — reachable by the public without registering or working with the listing brokerage. The 2025 requirement to reach the MLS within one business day was removed. | Real Estate News, Mar 19, 2026 |
| Zillow Preview | Pre-market listings shown publicly on Zillow and Trulia; live on Realtor.com since September 17, 2026, labeled as Preview. Only through a brokerage that has partnered with Zillow — more than 400 have. Zillow says the agent stays responsible for local MLS rules. | Zillow releases, Mar 17 and Sep 17, 2026 |
| Realtor.com | No listing ban. Displays Zillow Preview listings. | Real Estate News, May 5, 2026 |
| Redfin | Announced a ban in April 2025 and never put it in force; began hosting Compass Coming Soon listings in February 2026. | RISMedia, Apr 16, 2026 |
| Compass | Three phases: Private Exclusive, Coming Soon on Compass.com, then active on the MLS. The seller signs Compass's own disclosure form first. Since September 22, 2026 Coming Soon listings are publicly searchable on its site; Private Exclusives still require registration or contacting Compass. | Compass releases; Real Estate News, Sep 22, 2026 |
| StreetEasy (New York City) | Since September 17, 2026 a publicly marketed listing must be on StreetEasy the same calendar day. | HousingWire, Sep 2026 |
No court has ruled that any of these practices is lawful or unlawful. Tell sellers what each player's policy is today. Don't tell them who is right.
The same words mean different things in the next county. These are examples of the spread — they are not your rules.
| MLS | Option | What its published rule says |
|---|---|---|
| Stellar MLS (Florida) | Delayed Distribution Listing | Distribution to other brokers' sites and the portals is delayed five calendar days. The listing is active in the MLS. Seller signs the "Multiple Listing Options for Property Owners" form. |
| BeachesMLS (Florida) | Coming Soon with Delayed Marketing | 21-day maximum; days on market do not calculate; showings and open houses only when Delayed Marketing = Yes. Requires a seller's delayed marketing disclosure. |
| MIAMI MLS (Florida) | Office Exclusive | Form MIAMI-10 is due within 2 business days of the listing agreement. The seller acknowledges the home "will not be displayed on or via the SEFMLS, internet platforms, or third-party websites" and that this "may affect the sale price." |
| NTREIS (North Texas) | Coming Soon | Up to 30 days, then automatically Active; days on market do not accrue; the seller may authorize showings. |
| Northwest MLS (Washington) | First Look | Available since September 4, 2026: up to 21 days, entered in the MLS; the seller may allow showings and offers. |
| Bright MLS (Mid-Atlantic) | Four statuses | Registered, Office Exclusive, Coming Soon, Active. Every listing is registered within 48 hours of the signed agreement (rules announced July 9, 2026). |
| CRMLS (California) | Coming Soon; Limited Exposure Coming Soon | Coming Soon does not accrue days on market, but price reductions show. The limited-exposure option keeps the listing off third-party sites. |
| State | Law | In force | What it requires |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington | SSB 6091 | June 11, 2026 | A broker may not market to "a limited or exclusive group" unless the home is "concurrently marketed to the general public and all other brokers," with a health-or-safety exception. No seller opt-out form. |
| Connecticut | Public Act 26-23 | October 1, 2026 | A publicly marketed 1–4 unit home must be on a publicly accessible platform at the same time or before. A seller who opts out signs the statutory form. Private listings that are not publicly marketed remain allowed. |
| Wisconsin | 2025 Act 69 | January 1, 2027 | The listing firm advertises on an internet platform within one business day of the agreement unless the owner signs the state's opt-out disclosure. |
Not law as of October 2, 2026: New York's A10679-B passed both houses in spring 2026 with no report of the governor acting; Illinois HB 4964 has been in committee since February 2026.
Florida: no statute on private listings was found. F.S. 475.278 presumes a licensee is a transaction broker unless another relationship is set in writing, and says a transaction broker "does not represent either in a fiduciary capacity." MIAMI REALTORS® and the Broward, Palm Beaches & St. Lucie association merged on May 11, 2026 but still run two MLS systems — confirm which rules apply to your listing.
The studies disagree because they count different homes
| Who published it | What it counted | What it found |
|---|---|---|
| Zillow A portal whose business depends on public listings | Homes sold in 2023–2025 that reached the MLS only after a contract was in place, measured against its own Zestimate | Sold for 1.3% less (May 14, 2026) |
| Compass A brokerage that sells phased marketing; its own listings only | 70,809 closed Compass sales that began as Private Exclusive or Coming Soon. Critics note most went on to sell through the MLS and that expired and withdrawn listings are not counted | Sold for 4.6% more (July 24, 2026). Its 2025 release said results "should not be interpreted as definitive predictions of future outcomes." |
| Bright MLS An MLS | 101,089 sales, September 2024 – February 2025; listings that began as office exclusives against standard listings at the same brokerages | "No impact on sold price"; a median 37 days to contract against 20; 87% converted to a standard MLS listing before selling (April 2025) |
| ARELLO The association of license-law regulators | More than 10 million transactions, January 2024 – June 2026, measured against Zillow's valuation | Private listings 0.87% below standard MLS listings in 2025; coming-soon listings 1.16% above. ARELLO: "evidence of an association that warrants further examination" (reported by HousingWire, Sep 23, 2026) |
| Hayunga, University of Georgia Working paper, not yet peer-reviewed | About 700,000 Dallas–Fort Worth sales, 2002–2022; "pocket sales" recorded with zero days on market | 1.7% higher overall; 0.9% and not statistically significant after Clear Cooperation took effect |
One peer-reviewed study found a causal effect: when Massachusetts stopped sellers from resetting days on market in 2006, affected homes sold for about $11,000 less (Tucker, Zhang and Zhu, RAND Journal of Economics, 2013). The rest is correlation — overpriced homes both sit longer and sell lower. Sellers want both things at once: 83% of prospective sellers were interested in a coming-soon approach (Redfin survey, published with its own product launch, May 2026), and 61% of soon-to-be sellers believe broad online marketing beats a limited private network (Harris Poll for Zillow, May 2026).
Never say a path "gets you X% more" or "costs you X%." Each figure is one publisher's average. Name the publisher every time.
One page, in plain English, of what each path allows, requires and gives up — built from your own rules
| Source | What to paste | Where to get it |
|---|---|---|
| Your MLS | Rules on office exclusives, coming soon and delayed marketing, entry deadlines, days-on-market counting, required seller forms, fines | The MLS rules page or compliance desk |
| Your brokerage | Its private or pre-market programs, its seller disclosure form, its policy on in-house sales | Your broker or the office policy manual |
| The portals | Zillow's Listing Access Standards, pre-market program eligibility, any local portal rule | The portal's published page — and whether your brokerage is enrolled |
| Your state | Any statute on public marketing or seller opt-out; your brokerage-relationship duties | The state commission or your association's legal page |
| Output | Who it's for | What's on it |
|---|---|---|
| The rule sheet | You and your broker | One row per rule: the rule, the source, the date confirmed — and VERIFY wherever something is missing |
| The seller map | The seller | The three paths in plain English: who sees the home, when, what the seller signs, how to switch. No recommendation. |
ALREADY BUILT A COMPLIANCE PRE-FLIGHT?
Paste it in as your Preview column. The Compliance Pre-Flight from The Coming-Soon Machine (August 19, 2026) already turned your coming-soon rules into guardrails. This system adds what that one left out: the Private column, your brokerage's options, the portal policies, and a page the seller can read.
THE RULE THAT RUNS THIS SYSTEM
Paste the rule. Don't describe it. AI maps only what you give it — and marks everything else VERIFY.
Paste the actual text of each rule. Never ask AI what your MLS's rules are.
I'm a listing agent in [CITY, STATE], a member of [MLS NAME], with [BROKERAGE]. Below is the actual text of the rules and policies that govern how I can market a listing: my MLS's rules on office exclusives, coming soon or delayed marketing, listing entry deadlines, days-on-market counting and required seller forms [PASTE]; my brokerage's policy and any private or pre-market program it offers [PASTE]; the published portal policies that apply [PASTE]; any state statute on public marketing or seller opt-out [PASTE]. Build a rule sheet as a table with one row per rule and these columns: Path (PRIVATE / PREVIEW / PUBLIC), the rule in one plain sentence, the exact words it comes from, the source document, and the date I confirmed it [DATE]. Cover, for each path: who can see the listing, what counts as public marketing, the entry deadline, the maximum window, whether showings and offers are allowed, whether days on market and price changes are recorded, the seller form required and when it is due, and the penalty for getting it wrong. State nothing I did not paste. Where the pasted text does not answer a question, write VERIFY in that cell instead of filling it in.
Using only the rule sheet below [PASTE OUTPUT OF 1.1], write a one-page explanation for a home seller of the three ways their home can be marketed in [MLS NAME] with [BROKERAGE]: Private, Preview (pre-market) and Public. For each path give: what it is called here, who can see the home and when, what the seller signs, what the seller gives up or delays, and how the seller can move to a different path later. Use the same order and the same length for all three so none looks favored. Write at an eighth-grade reading level, no jargon, no adjectives that sell. Do not recommend a path and do not predict a price outcome for any path. Leave out any row marked VERIFY and list those at the bottom under "Still confirming." End with: "You choose the path. I'll explain all three and put your choice in writing."
Close every gap before a seller sees the map. Then keep it current.
Here is my rule sheet [PASTE]. For every cell marked VERIFY, write the exact question I should ask, and say who to ask: my MLS's compliance desk, my managing broker, the portal's published policy page, or my state association's legal line. Add these questions if the sheet does not already answer them: Can an office exclusive be shared with agents in other brokerages? Does a coming-soon or delayed listing accrue days on market, and does price history show? Are showings and open houses allowed before the listing is active? Which seller form is required, who supplies it, and when is it due? Is my brokerage enrolled in any portal's pre-market program? Phrase each so it can be answered in one line by email. Do not answer the questions yourself and do not state what any rule is.
Here is my rule sheet dated [DATE] [PASTE]. Here is new material since then: MLS rule-change notices, brokerage memos, portal announcements and any state law changes [PASTE]. List each row that changes, with the old wording, the new wording, the source and its date. Flag any row that is more than 90 days old with no confirmation as RE-CONFIRM. Then rewrite the seller map (Prompt 1.2) only where a change affects what a seller would be told. Use only what I pasted.
For this home and this seller's goals: the three paths side by side on the things only the path changes
| Row | The question it answers | Where the answer comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Reach | How many buyers and agents can see the home, and through which channels? | Your rule sheet |
| Timing | When does each stage start, and what clock is running? | Your rule sheet |
| Privacy | Who learns the home is for sale? Are the photos, address and price public? | Your rule sheet and the seller's own concern |
| Access | Are showings, open houses and offers allowed at each stage? | Your rule sheet |
| Listing history | Will days on market and price changes be recorded and shown? | Your MLS and each portal |
| Reversibility | How does the seller move to another path, and what carries over? | Your MLS and your brokerage's form |
I'm meeting a seller about [NEIGHBORHOOD, PROPERTY TYPE, PRICE RANGE]. Here is what they have told me so far, in their words [PASTE notes, emails, or my Seller Brief if I have one]. Draft five short questions I can ask to learn what matters to them when choosing how the home is marketed: their timeline and what is driving it; how they feel about neighbors, tenants or colleagues knowing the home is for sale; who lives in the home and how showings would work; how they would feel if the listing showed many days on market or a price change; and whether anyone has already suggested a marketing approach to them. Neutral wording, one sentence each, nothing that leads toward a path. Then give me a five-line summary template to fill in with their answers in their own words. Do not ask about or infer anything based on age, race, color, religion, national origin, sex, disability or familial status.
LEFT OUT ON PURPOSE
Net proceeds and the pricing story are not in this comparison. They're in The Price-Cut Conversation (Prompt 2.2) and The AI Pricing Story. This page compares only what the path changes.
Same rows, same length, all three paths. The moment one column reads like a pitch, the seller stops trusting the other two.
Build a one-page comparison of the three marketing paths for my seller at [ADDRESS]. Their goals, in their words: [PASTE the five-line summary from 2.1]. My rule sheet: [PASTE from 1.1]. Rows: Reach, Timing, Privacy, Access (showings and offers), Listing history (days on market and price changes), and Reversibility. Columns: Private, Preview, Public. In each cell write what happens on that path under my rules, in one or two plain sentences. Add a final row, "How this fits what you told me," that connects each path to the seller's stated goals using their own words — where a path helps a goal, say so; where it works against one, say so just as plainly. Give every column the same length and tone. Do not predict or imply a sale price or a speed of sale for any path. Do not include net proceeds. Mark any cell my rule sheet does not answer as VERIFY. The seller decides; recommend nothing unless I ask.
THE LINE THAT KEEPS YOU ON THE SELLER'S SIDE
"There are three ways to do this, and I can run any of them. Here's what each one means for who sees your home and when. You know what matters most to you — which of these fits?"
Your own MLS data beats a national press release — if you're honest about how little it may show.
Here is an export from my MLS of closed sales in [AREA, PROPERTY TYPE, PRICE RANGE] over [PERIOD], with these fields for each sale: list date, status history (including any coming soon, delayed or office-exclusive status), days on market, original list price, final list price, sale price, and whether one office was on both sides [PASTE]. Tell me what this data can and cannot show about the three marketing paths here. Report counts first: how many sales began in each status. For any group with fewer than 30 sales, say plainly that it is too small to draw a conclusion. Where groups are large enough, report medians for days to contract and sale-to-original-list ratio side by side, and list the differences between the groups that could explain any gap other than the marketing path (price tier, location, property type, season). Do not call any difference a cause. Do not estimate a price premium or discount. End with one sentence I can say to a seller that is accurate about what our local data shows and what it doesn't.
A seller has been told this about how to market their home: "[PASTE THE CLAIM, WORD FOR WORD]". If I have the source, here it is: [PASTE the study, press release or article]. Without taking a side, answer five questions: 1) Who published this, and what do they sell? 2) What exactly was counted, over what period, and how many sales? 3) What was it compared against? 4) What was left out or not controlled for (for example listings that expired or were withdrawn, price tier, or homes that later sold through the MLS)? 5) What would have to be true for this to apply to this seller's home in [AREA]? Use only the source I pasted; if I pasted no source, say what I need to find before anyone can rely on the claim. Then write two sentences I can say to the seller that respect the person who told them, claim nothing I can't support, and bring the conversation back to their own goals. Never criticize another agent or company.
| When you hear… | Ask |
|---|---|
| "Private sells for more." | Which homes were counted — and did they end up on the MLS anyway? |
| "Off-MLS sells for less." | Were those homes ever pre-marketed, or sold inside one office in a day? |
| "Days on market kill your price." | Is that a cause, or do overpriced homes simply sit longer? |
| "Everyone is doing it now." | Here, in our MLS? Show the counts (Prompt 2.3). |
The seller's informed choice in writing, the path questions answered, and the date you'll look again
Write my answers to four things sellers say about how to market their home: (1) "Another agent told me a private listing sells for more." (2) "I don't want the neighbors to know we're selling." (3) "Won't days on market count against me if we go public?" (4) "Can we test the price quietly first?" For each, use this structure: a validating first sentence; one fact from my rule sheet or my local data [PASTE the rule sheet and the output of 2.3]; an invitation to look at the three-path comparison together; and a close that hands the decision back to the seller. Each answer under 80 words, spoken language. Do not name or criticize any agent, brokerage or portal. Do not promise a price or a timeline on any path. Where the honest answer is "that path may fit you," say so.
| They say | Start with | Bring it back to | Never say |
|---|---|---|---|
| "A private listing sells for more." | "I've seen that study. It's worth understanding." | What it counted, and what our own MLS shows (Prompts 2.3 and 2.4) | "That agent is misleading you." |
| "I don't want the neighbors to know." | "That's a real reason, and there's a path built for it." | What privacy changes about reach, and what you'd sign | "You'll lose money." |
| "Days on market will count against me." | "That's a fair worry." | What our MLS records on each path, and a review date instead of an open-ended wait | "Days on market don't matter." |
| "Can we test the price quietly first?" | "Yes. Here's what that looks like under our rules." | Who would see it, for how long, and the date we switch | "We can always hide it later." |
ALREADY IN YOUR LIBRARY
Need to rehearse out loud? Use The Seller Roleplay (The AI Pricing Story) or The Objection Gym (My Client Asked ChatGPT). For the meeting itself, use the 30-minute decision meeting in The Price-Cut Conversation. This system adds what those don't have: the path questions, the written record and the switch.
The MLS form records a signature. Your summary records the conversation.
Write a short confirmation email to my seller after our conversation on [DATE] about how their home will be marketed. Include: the three paths I explained, in one line each; the path they chose and their reason in their own words [PASTE]; what they are giving up or delaying by choosing it, stated plainly; the form my MLS or brokerage requires and where it stands [FORM NAME — SIGNED / TO BE SIGNED]; the date we agreed to review the choice; and an invitation to reply if anything here does not match their understanding. Warm, factual, under 200 words. Add one line saying this email is a summary of our conversation and does not replace the listing agreement or any required form. Then write a three-line file note for my records: date, who was present, what was provided. This is not a legal document — do not use legal terms and do not say that anything is waived, released or binding.
My seller has chosen the [PRIVATE / PREVIEW] path starting [DATE]. Under my rules the maximum window is [X DAYS, from the rule sheet]. Their goals: [PASTE]. Draft a one-page review agreement for us to complete together: the signals we will watch (for example inquiries, showings where allowed, written feedback, offers); the date we will look again, no later than [DATE]; the decision we will make if the signals have not changed; and what the seller wants to happen if the window ends. Leave the thresholds blank for the seller to fill in. Frame it as a plan we both agreed to on day one. Do not suggest what the thresholds should be.
We are moving [ADDRESS] from [CURRENT PATH] to [NEW PATH] on [DATE]. From my rule sheet [PASTE], list in order what has to happen that day and the day before: status changes and their deadlines, forms to sign or update, what becomes visible to other agents and to the public, what carries over into the listing history, and who needs to be told (the seller, my broker, agents who already showed interest). Give me the exact questions to ask my MLS desk about how the earlier period will display. Do not state what my MLS's rule is — tell me what to confirm. Do not write any marketing copy.
Where each prompt fits, from the week before the appointment to the day the path changes
| Stage | Prompts | What the seller sees |
|---|---|---|
| Before any appointment | 1.1 rule intake · 1.3 verify list · 1.2 map | Nothing yet — you're building the map |
| Before this appointment | 2.1 goals intake · 2.3 local evidence | Five neutral questions |
| At the appointment | 1.2 map · 2.2 side-by-side · 2.4 claim check · 3.1 path questions | Three paths at the same length, their goals in their words — their decision |
| Decision day | 3.2 choice summary · 3.3 switch triggers | A confirmation email and a review date, alongside the required form |
| Review date | 3.3 switch triggers · 3.4 switch plan | Stay on the path, or switch on a set day |
| Every quarter | 1.4 refresh | A map that is still true |
THE PROMISE
No seller of mine chooses a marketing path without seeing all three. They hear what each one means, choose for their own reasons, and get it in writing.
This session builds on earlier workbooks instead of repeating them
| When you need… | Use this | From the workbook |
|---|---|---|
| Your MLS's coming-soon rules turned into campaign guardrails | The Compliance Pre-Flight; The Rules of the Tease | The Coming-Soon Machine (Aug 19, 2026) |
| The campaign once the seller chooses the pre-market path | The Teaser Factory; The Launch Flywheel | The Coming-Soon Machine (Aug 19, 2026) |
| A fast launch after a switch to public | The Compressed Campaign; The Launch-Day Sequence | The Coming-Soon Machine (Aug 19, 2026) |
| Every option side by side with net proceeds | Prompt 2.2 — The Options-and-Net Decision Brief | The Price-Cut Conversation (Oct 14, 2026) |
| The meeting itself, minute by minute | The 30-minute decision meeting; Prompt 2.5 — The Emotion-First Opener | The Price-Cut Conversation (Oct 14, 2026) |
| How a status change shows in listing history | Prompt 3.3 — The Listing-History Honesty Check | The Price-Cut Conversation (Oct 14, 2026) |
| Agreeing now what happens if the plan stalls | The Pre-Agreement Framework | The AI Pricing Story (Jul 29, 2026) |
| A seller repeating a claim they heard elsewhere | The "My Neighbor Got More" Answer | The AI Pricing Story (Jul 29, 2026) |
| A seller who asked AI which path is best | The "Let's Ask It Together" Play; The Local Truth Layer | My Client Asked ChatGPT (Aug 26, 2026) |
| The seller's goals before you meet | The Seller Brief Builder | The 7-Touch Pre-Listing Sequence (Aug 5, 2026) |
| Keeping seller details out of AI, and the paper trail | The Data Line; The Compliance Workflow | Keeping AI Compliant (Sep 23, 2026) |
| A weekly proof-of-work report on any path | The "Don't Fire Me Report" | Never Lose a Listing Again (Sep 3, 2025) |
The New Real Estate Battleground (May 20, 2026) has prompts for building private inventory — run any private-listing outreach through your Three-Path Map first, because the rules have changed since. Zillow's $2.6B Bet Against You (April 8, 2026) described Zillow Preview as first announced; page 4 of this workbook has the current version.
The three paths on one page from your own rules · the private and office-exclusive column · the portal policies · the property-specific comparison · your local evidence with its limits stated · the claim check for quoted studies · four path questions · the written choice summary · switch triggers and the switch plan.
A map only earns trust if every line is true and no column is tilted
| Question | Who answers it |
|---|---|
| Which path should this home take? | The seller. Always. |
| What do my MLS's rules allow? | Your MLS and your broker — in writing, with a date. Not AI, and not this workbook. |
| Is a form or a practice legally sufficient? | Your broker and their counsel. A signed form does not by itself show the seller understood: NAR's guidance lists explaining the options separately from getting the disclosure. |
| Which path sells for more? | No one can promise that. Every published figure is one publisher's average. |
| Who is right — the portals, the brokerages or the MLSs? | Not yours to decide. No court has ruled on the merits. |
Fair-housing organizations have raised concerns that private listings can limit who learns a home is for sale. These are advocacy statements; we found no HUD statement or court ruling on private listing networks. What you control: give every seller the same three-path explanation, never suggest a path because of who the seller or the likely buyer is, and when a home is shared privately, share it by what a buyer is looking for — never by who they are.
Build the map once, use it at every listing appointment, refresh it every quarter
| Week | Actions |
|---|---|
| Week 1 — Build the map | Collect your MLS rules, brokerage policy, portal policies and any state statute · Run Prompt 1.1, then send the Prompt 1.3 questions · Save all 12 prompts in your prompt library |
| Week 2 — Finish and test | Get an answer to every VERIFY and date it · Run Prompt 1.2 and have your broker review the seller map · Pull the MLS export and run Prompt 2.3 |
| Week 3 — Use it live | Run Prompts 2.1 and 2.2 for your next listing appointment · Prepare your Prompt 3.1 answers with your own data · Claim-check (Prompt 2.4) the one study you hear most often |
| Week 4 — Make it default | Add the seller map and the choice summary (3.2) to your listing checklist · Add a review agreement (3.3) to every private or pre-market listing · Put the quarterly refresh (1.4) on your calendar |
THE PROMISE
Three paths explained. The seller chooses. The choice in writing. A date to look again.
All 12 prompts, the worksheets, the verified rules pages, and every source — in one PDF
The complete workbook includes the three paths in the rule-makers' words, the portal and brokerage policies, the MLS and state comparison, the studies page, the rule-sheet and seller-map prompts, the path comparison worksheet, the claim check, the four path questions, the review agreement, the guardrails, and the 30-day plan.
Download the Workbook (PDF)Verified October 2, 2026 — these rules are changing month to month, so confirm the current version with your MLS and broker before a seller meeting
Educational resource: It is not legal advice and it takes no side between any brokerage, portal or MLS. Listing rules differ by MLS, brokerage and state and are changing quickly: confirm every rule with your broker or MLS before it reaches a seller, and check AI output against the documents you pasted. The marketing decision always belongs to the seller. Always follow your broker's policies, your MLS rules, your state's law and fair housing law.