MLSs gear up for the implementation of NAR’s delayed marketing

The National Association of Realtors’ (NAR) Multiple Listing Options for Sellers (MLOS) Policy is slated to go into effect on September 30, and MLSs across the country are gearing up for the implementation of the policy. 

The policy, which was announced in early March, outlines the creation of delayed marketing exempt listings. According to the policy, listings that are “delayed” are entered into the MLS within one business day of public marketing, but they are not able to be syndicated or be part of IDX data feeds.

In announcing the policy, NAR said it would be up to individual MLSs to decide what the exact implementation of the policy would look like, giving local MLSs control over how long a listing could be delayed and what data would be recorded about delayed listings. Naturally, this has led to a wide variety of implementation strategies. 

Bright MLS says they’ve had this option for years

At Bright MLS, the nation’s second largest MLS, a spokesperson said that the MLS has “effectively” had the MLOS policy as part of its system options for years. 

“For nearly two decades, we have allowed subscribers to market properties according to their clients’ directions, including the option to choose ‘Internet No’ in our system while marketing the property otherwise at the seller’s instruction. Additionally, we removed the time limit on Coming Soon listings last summer to provide flexibility for the seller to choose when they’re ready to show their homes to prospective buyers,” a spokesperson wrote in an email. “Bright MLS will continue to offer agents a range of options when entering a listing to best serve clients’ diverse needs.”

Across the country, Kim Everett, the CEO of Western Arizona Realtor Data Exchange (WARDEX), shared a similar sentiment, acknowledging that WARDEX has been providing subscribers with the ability to limit IDX marketing for years. According to Everett, this option is most frequently used when the seller has privacy concerns related to their safety. 

While Everett said nothing is changing when it comes to the IDX “yes/no” option subscribers currently have in the WARDEX system, she did note that in conjunction with the Arizona Association of Realtors, WARDEX  has updated and refined forms to ensure their system aligns with the MLOS policy. 

Sellers must sign a disclosure

Under the MLOS policy, sellers must sign a disclosure that informs them of the risks they are assuming by not listing the property on the MLS. 

“In alignment with those updates, WARDEX has introduced a simple reminder within the MLS platform, prompting agents to confirm that the seller has signed the appropriate agreement before applying this restriction,” Everett said. “Throughout this month, WARDEX is encouraging agents to review the policy and available resources, so they are well-prepared to discuss the DMEL [Delayed Marketing Exempt Listing] option with their clients when appropriate.”

Choosing to keep things as close to the way they have been stemmed from the desire of WARDEX brokers and subscribers to keep things as simple as possible, according to Everett. 

New Hampshire already allows controlled data distribution

In New England, Prime MLS, is taking a similar approach to WARDEX, in that the most notable change being the requirement for a new form, but the New Hampshire-based MLS isn’t embracing MLOS with the same enthusiasm.

“We have set the delayed time period for delayed listings to zero days,” Chad Jacobson, the CEO of Prime MLS, said. “So, functionally, it will not exist in our system. Our system already contains the appropriate switches and settings for people to control data distribution on a listing by listing basis, so we just don’t see that it is necessary.”

Jacobson said the leadership board decided to go this route as subscribers already have the ability to mark a listing as “internet no” which prevents the listing from being displayed anywhere on the internet, including on sites using IDX feeds. However, if a seller decides to keep their listing fully private or mark it “internet no,” they will be required to sign a disclosure agreement. Although Jacobson said Prime MLS will not be monitoring these forms, which will be provided by state Realtor associations, agents will need to produce them if requested by the MLS or association. These new requirements will go into effect at the end of the month. 

No delayed listings, just coming soon

While Prime MLS is not creating a delayed listing status, the MLS is planning to launch a new “Coming Soon” status. 

“This is another popular mechanism to allow participants and subscribers to get their listing into the MLS for exposure prior to it going live,” Jacobson said. 

The new coming soon status is slated to be unveiled in January 2026. Subscribers will be required to fill all data fields for coming soon listings, but days on market are not accumulated when a listing is in the coming soon status.

Listings can remain in the coming soon status for a maximum of 10 calendar days after which they will automatically be made active. When a listing is in the coming soon status, no showings are allowed, but the listing can be syndicated and shared via IDX, and sellers may accept offers on those properties. 

In a similar vein, Canopy MLS in North Carolina has also decided to expand seller listing options, however the MLS noted that this decision was made independent of NAR announcing its MLOS policy.

“This was not a process we took lightly. We utilized several mechanisms to garner feedback from our agents, including a scenario-based survey to gauge the level of understanding our agents have regarding what is currently permitted under the Canopy MLS rules,” Anne Marie DeCatsye, the CEO of Canopy Realtor Association/Canopy MLS, said in a statement. “The survey also asked for input on potential rules and system changes to better address clients’ privacy and security concerns, Clear Cooperation (CCP), and Coming Soon policies.”   

Canopy MLS decided that CCP stays the same

Ultimately Canopy MLS decided that CCP stays the same, but it clarified that advertising a listing in a one-to-one or agent-to-agent fashion does not trigger CCP. Additionally, by the end of 2025, Canopy MLS said that price changes made to a listing first entered as a ‘Coming Soon-No Show’ will not appear on the listing’s history.

Looking further ahead, in early 2026, Canopy plans to implement Limited Exposure and Firm Exclusive listing options. Under the Limited Exposure option, days on market will not be tracked, price history will be recorded and not displayed and the listings will be excluded from IDX, VOW and syndication feeds. Listings in this status will be available for showing. Properties listed as Firm Exclusives will only be viewable by agents with the listing brokerage and price changes made to the listing will be recorded but will not appear anywhere. 

“These updates and options are intended to provide our agents a way to better serve their clients’ preferences in our marketplace,” Charisma Southerland, the 2025 president of Canopy Realtor Association/Canopy MLS, said in a statement. 

Austin MLS introduces Flex Listings

Down in Austin, Texas, Unlock MLS has also enabled listing agents and sellers with greater flexibility, introducing Flex Listings earlier this summer. Flex Listings do not require the same amount of input data and are only available on other sites via a virtual office website (VOW) feed. Emily Girard, the CEO of Unlock MLS, said these changes were already in the works prior to NAR’s policy announcement. 

“Given the discussion at the time surrounding CCP and the potential for NAR to make a pivot on their policy, we knew there was maybe something coming down the pike, but really the driver for us with the launch and the design of this was our own market conditions and what we were hearing from brokers and agents about needing flexible tools for their sellers as they navigate a market that has shifted significantly over the last couple of years,” Girard said. 

Refusal to implement delayed listings

While these MLSs have embraced the MLOS policy in some way, other MLSs, like California Regional MLS and NorthstarMLS, have refused to implement the policy. Although NorthstarMLS adopted the policy,  the organization has said it will not implement the optional delayed marketing exempt listings provision or limit IDX and syndication feeds.

NorthstarMLS argues that the delayed marketing option “risks creating information silos and reducing listing accessibility, which conflicts with our mission to provide accurate, reliable data to all participants.”

As the Sept. 30 deadline approaches, agents should check with their local MLS or MLSs to find out how MLOS is being implemented and what changes are being made.