Zillow Preview Adds Engel & Völkers, Bhhs, Serhant., Samson Properties, 20 More Firms

The week since its announcement of Zillow Preview has been a busy one for Zillow. On Wednesday, just eight days after launching Zillow Preview, the brokerage announced that 24 additional real estate firms had signed on to the new pre-marketing product. 

These companies include:

• Engel & Völkers
• Leading Real Estate Companies of the World
• SERHANT.
• Samson Properties
• Vanguard Properties
• West USA Realty
• 54 Realty
• Bastion Realty
• DASH Carolina
• Dwelli
• ehomes
• Heather & Company Realty Group
• Hester Group Realtors
• Joe Stockdale Real Estate
• Palm Paradise Realty Group
• Pemberton Real Estate
• Regal Realtors
• Spyglass Realty
• Levi Rodgers Real Estate Group
• Move Real Estate
• Stephen Cooley Real Estate
• Navigate Realty
• Works Real Estate
• Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices (BHHS), the franchise network owned by HomeServices of America, which was one of the initial five brokerages who signed on to Zillow Preview last week. 

“Zillow Preview was just announced, but the signal from the industry is undeniable,” Jeremy Wacksman, the CEO of Zillow, said in a statement. “Brokerages and their agents want an early marketing option that’s public, transparent and easy for consumers to find, not hidden behind a private gate. This level of early adoption shows we’re building something that aligns with where the market is headed.”

In addition to HomeServices, these firms also join Keller Williams, REMAX, Side and United Real Estate in signing on to Zillow Preview. 

Seller’s best interest is priority, say brokers

“At Samson Properties, we believe the seller’s best interest comes first, always! That means maximizing exposure, not limiting it. The more buyers who see a home, the more competition you create, and the better the outcome for the seller,” Donny Samson, the CEO of Samson Properties, said in a statement. “Coming soon and Preview marketing can be a valuable tool for gathering feedback and refining pricing strategy, we don’t believe properties should be sold off-market or hidden behind private networks. That restricts demand and ultimately works against the seller. Our partnership with Zillow reflects that philosophy. If a listing is going to be pre-marketed, it should be exposed to the largest audience possible. Zillow provides the scale, visibility and data to do exactly that.”

Stuart Siegel, the president and CEO, Engel & Völkers Americas, also expressed that he and his company believe that full market exposure of listings delivers the strongest outcomes for both buyers and sellers.

“At the same time, we recognize that in certain markets and client situations, a more tailored, pre-marketing approach may be appropriate,” Siegel said in a statement. “Ultimately, broader consumer reach creates greater opportunity, which is why we’ve partnered with Zillow, leveraging its leading position among real estate platforms to maximize visibility and results for our clients.”

MLS frameworks

By signing up for Zillow Preview, these brokerages are agreeing to allow Zillow to exclusively display their coming soon listings on its sites. Brokers may also display coming soon listings on their own brokerage websites. The product is structured to operate within local MLS frameworks, however Zillow said that agents are responsible for understanding and complying with their local MLS rules regarding pre-marketing and statuses like coming soon. 

During the preview period, submitted listings are publicly visible and receive priority placement in search and save-home alerts. All Zillow Preview listings must have at least one listing photo, the full address and property specification, listing description, year built, tax and HOA information, showing instructions, price, listing contract day and expected on-market date.

The listings will feature the branding of their listing brokerage. The listing agents will receive information on the number of views, saves, shares and tour requests each preview listing receives. Zillow said agents and their sellers can then use this information to help them inform pricing and marketing decisions before the listing goes live. 

The firm said coming soon listings part of the Zillow Preview program are expected to be publicly visible on Zillow and Trulia starting next month.