eXp makes pre-market deal with Homes.com, Realtor.com
The brokerage says the move, which also includes HouseCanary’s ComeHome.com, expands consumer access while avoiding exclusive portal agreements.
Key points:
- eXp Realty will allow agents to syndicate “Coming Soon” listings to Realtor.com, Homes.com and ComeHome.com starting April 15.
- Listings will be distributed via Zenlist and must comply with local MLS rules.
- The syndication deal is non-exclusive and open to any portal “on equal terms.”
eXp Realty is the latest brokerage to make a move in the increasingly competitive battle over pre-market listings, and CEO Leo Pareja wants to make something perfectly clear: It's not about exclusivity.
Unlike the Compass/Redfin distribution deal unveiled in February or the Zillow Preview product announced a day earlier, Pareja said, eXp is offering its "Coming Soon" listings to Realtor.com, Homes.com, ComeHome.com — and any other portal that is interested in picking up its feed "on equal terms" is welcome to do so.
Starting April 15, eXp agents will be able to broadly syndicate its "Coming Soon" listings via Zenlist, a third-party platform. They just need to comply with sellers' wishes and local MLS and government rules.
"I just do not feel that exclusivity is the right choice," eXp Realty CEO Leo Pareja told Real Estate News. "We want as many people to see our listings as possible," which he said is the best way to be "loyal to the consumer."
The latest move in the listings battle
The announcement comes amid a wave of new initiatives aimed at capturing attention — and leads — during the pre-market phase of a listing.
On March 17, Zillow launched Zillow Preview, a product that allows brokerages to display pre-market listings publicly on its platform while remaining aligned with MLS rules.
Meanwhile, Compass has leaned into a phased strategy that begins with private listings and expands outward, including a new partnership that brings its "Coming Soon" inventory to Redfin.
eXp's approach is different, focusing on broad distribution across multiple portals rather than exclusivity or a single-platform strategy. Realtor.com and Homes.com are among the industry's top five home search sites, while HouseCanary's ComeHome.com partners with Google to display listings in search in select markets.
A push for transparency
By expanding where pre-market listings appear, eXp said it aims to give buyers more opportunities to discover homes earlier in the process while helping sellers generate demand.
And Realtor.com CEO Damian Eales agreed, saying in a statement that its agreement with the brokerage "marks an important step forward in support of MLS's and our aligned mission to ensure a fair marketplace driven by MLS transparency. Sellers want clicks, not cliques and eXp is delivering for them."
"We recognize a seller's desire for price exploration before officially going to market, and a 'Coming Soon' status is the ideal solution for buyers, sellers and professionals," Eales said, adding that it "eliminates the need for restrictive private marketplaces and ensures equal access for all buyers, not a subset selected by the listing agent."
He urged MLSs that do not offer the "Coming Soon" status to do so.
"Consumers want greater transparency into what's coming to market, and agents want better ways to build interest before a listing officially launches," said Andy Florance, founder and CEO of CoStar Group, which owns Homes.com. "By giving buyers an early look while protecting seller choice, Homes.com is helping agents and sellers create stronger listing launches and better outcomes."