Thanks to the N.A.R. revision of the Clear Cooperation Policy, there are now FOUR ways a home can be marketed to buyers:

Private Exclusive – Within the brokerage only. My buyers can be auto-notified.

Compass Coming Soon – Listings on the brokerage/agent websites only.

Coming Soon – MLS listings can start as a coming soon – no showings.

MLS input – Listings are dispersed to the search portals and available to all.

The new policy allows agents to toy around with new listings. There is the veiled hint of selling off-market, but it’s left to the participants to imagine the outcome.

If there was a concerted effort throughout the brokerage community to push off-market sales, it would hasten the dissolution of N.A.R. and help unwind the tradition of broker cooperation. But they will hang onto the old ways as long as possible because they make more money off the new and inexperienced agents.

I think it is inevitable that residential agents will sell homes the same way it’s done on the commercial side. The best properties are closely held and only available to each agent’s network, and the regular stuff gets exposed to the public.