In a move designed to tighten liquidity in a volatile housing market, Zillow unveiled Preview, a new pre-market listing platform, on Tuesday. The service lets agents publish homes as coming soon before they officially go active, giving buyers a head start and setting the stage for more informed bidding. The rollout arrives as Compass and its Redfin–Rocket push press the market to accelerate exposure for new homes.
Monday’s announcement confirms five major partnerships to begin the program: keller williams, remax, homeservices of america, united real estate and side. Zillow says the initial roll-out covers 25 metro markets, with plans to expand to additional regions through 2026. The company argues that early visibility benefits homeowners by building demand while giving buyers and lenders more time to assess properties.
At a Glance
- Partners in the launch: keller williams, remax, homeservices of america, united real estate, side
- Rollout: live in 25 markets with expansion planned through 2026
- Goal: increase market transparency, liquidity and energy around listings
- Impact on loans: potential for faster pre-approval timelines and clearer pricing signals for lenders
Market Context and Strategy
The move is a direct response to a flurry of industry activity aimed at exposing listings sooner. Compass recently teamed with Redfin and Rocket Companies to publish coming soon listings on Redfin’s platform, prompting Zillow to act quickly with its own pre-market offering. Errol Samuelson, Zillow’s chief industry development officer, said the company approached like-minded brokerages to test a model built on transparency and liquidity.
In describing the partnerships, Samuelson emphasized that the initiative is designed to be open to additional brokerages that share the same market philosophy. "We are looking for collaborators who believe in a more open market and a smoother path to liquidity for both homeowners and buyers," he said.
What It Means for Buyers, Sellers and Loans
For sellers, Preview offers a staged marketing path in which a home can gain visibility before it becomes an active listing. That can help craft early demand and set a more disciplined timeline for showings, offers and marketing strategies. For buyers, the platform promises a head start to identify homes that might otherwise appear on the market only after hitting active status. For lenders, the development could translate into earlier loan conversations and improved price discovery on the front end of a deal.
Officials note that homeowners retain control over key decisions, including the marketing plan, showing rules and offer management. In practice, this could lead to more efficient negotiations as buyers come in with clearer expectations and lenders see more structured pre-approval timelines.
Industry Reactions
Keller Williams, one of the program’s leading participants, framed the initiative as a step toward a more open and competitive market. "An open market serves consumers the best. Sellers should have the opportunity to reach the broadest pool of potential buyers if they choose to do so, because broad exposure generally benefits the homeowner," said Gary Keller, executive chairman of Keller Williams. He added that the company supports pre-marketing as long as homeowners retain final say over how their property is marketed.
Chris Czarnecki, president and CEO of Keller Williams, echoed the sentiment, noting that pre-marketing can help generate energy and demand around a listing. "Pre-marketing is about building momentum while keeping homeowners in control of the process," he said. The stance signals a push from keller williams toward a more dynamic listing environment that still respects seller autonomy.
RE/MAX and HomeServices of America — both prominent players in the broker community — have embraced the plan as aligning with broader industry demands for transparency, even as it introduces new steps for listing preparation and disclosure. Industry observers say the partnerships could reshape how MLSs handle coming soon status and how lenders price risk for early offers and pre-approvals.
What’s Next
Zillow plans ongoing dialogue with its partner brokerages to refine the Preview process. The company intends to publish additional best practices around containment of preview activity, showings, and offer windows to prevent disruptions in markets with tight inventory or intense bidding. If the early results resemble expectations, Preview could become a standard feature for large brokerages that target speed, transparency and a well-communicated marketing plan.
Analysts say the initiative could accelerate the pace of mortgage decisions in several ways. First, more pre-market exposure might drive quicker decision timelines for buyers who want to secure financing before a property hits active status. Second, increased transparency could enable lenders to quote more accurate terms earlier in the process, potentially reducing last-minute rate flips or financing surprises. Finally, the program may push some borrowers toward more competitive loan products as supply becomes easier to compare across a broader field of properties.
The market for loans and housing finance remains sensitive to shifts in inventory and competition. As Preview gains traction, lenders will monitor how early visibility affects demand, price discovery and the speed of loan approvals. The five current partners — including keller williams, remax, homeservices of america, united real estate and side — will be watched to see how their networks influence adoption rates and borrower outcomes in the coming quarters.
Conclusion
As Zillow rolls out Preview, the housing industry watches to see if the approach will deliver the promised benefits of faster liquidity and smarter pricing. The collaboration with keller williams, remax, homeservices, united real estate and side positions this move as a major industry milestone that could redefine how pre-market activity informs financing and purchase decisions. If the program proves scalable, it may set a new baseline for listing transparency across the market, reinforcing Zillow’s role in shaping the ongoing evolution of the housing landscape.
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