Zillow Preview Picks Up 20 More Brokerage Partners

Zillow is expanding its pre-marketing efforts with a slew of new partners.

The brokerage added 24 brokerages to its recently debuted pre-marketing tool, Zillow Preview, which allows agents to upload homes to Zillow and Trulia before they are publicly marketed through the multiple listing service.

Some of the latest firms to gain access include Serhant, Samson Properties, the franchisor Engel & Völkers and the brokerage network Leading Real Estate Companies of the World.

Zillow previously announced partnerships with Keller Williams, REMAX, HomeServices of America, white-label brokerage Side and United Real Estate.

In statements included in Zillow’s announcement, executives toed the line of advocating for a transparent market with full listing exposure, and the value of pre-marketing for sellers.

Engel & Völkers America CEO Stuart Siegel said the company “firmly believes that full market exposure delivers the strongest outcomes for both buyers and sellers,” but that it also recognized that a pre-marketing approach “may be appropriate at times.”

Zillow’s expansion of its pre-marketing offering comes on the heels of a nearly year-long fight with Compass over how listings can be marketed to consumers. Earlier this month, Compass dropped its lawsuit against Zillow over its policies that restricted off-MLS marketing, citing the listing gian’t s updated policy that allows listings without appearing on the MLS.

In its recent announcements around Zillow Preview, the company has sought to maintain its position as a champion of transparency while touting the new product, which limits where listings appear. The company has said that brokers using its tool still maintain responsibility for complying with local MLS rules.

Zillow’s introduction of a pre-marketing tool came weeks after Compass and Redfin announced a similar partnership, in which Compass agents’ “Coming Soon” listings will appear exclusively on Redfin. This month, ExP Realty announced a non-exclusive partnership with Realtor.com, Homes.com and ComeHome.com.

“This level of early adoption shows we’re building something that aligns with where the market is headed,” stated Zillow CEO Jeremy Wacksman.

Zillow dangles incentives for agents using its pre-marketing, like elevated placement in its search results, and a bonus, paid by Zillow to the listing agent, if the deal closes with an agent in Zillow’s Preferred agent network.

Zillow, which counts roughly 235 million unique monthly visitors to its site, has also been pushing the exposure possible on its website compared to other public listing portals.

“If a listing is going to be pre-marketed, it should be exposed to the largest audience possible,” stated CEO of Samson Properties Donny Samson.