# Pocket listing > A home for sale that a listing agent markets privately instead of putting it in the MLS, so only selected agents and buyers hear about it. MLS rules limit when this is allowed, and it can shrink the pool of buyers. Also called: off-market listing, office exclusive, private listing, whisper listing. Topic: Contracts, agents and the MLS. Sellers sometimes want privacy, a quiet test of price or a sale without public showings. The tradeoff is reach: a home that skips the [MLS](https://brokerandagent.com/glossary/multiple-listing-service) is seen by fewer buyers and their agents, which can mean fewer offers. ## How does a pocket listing work? The [listing agent](https://brokerandagent.com/glossary#listing-agent) shares the home with a short list of agents or buyers, often by phone, email to selected people or within the brokerage, instead of entering it in the MLS. There are no public photos online and no feed to search sites. People use several names for it: off-market listing, private listing, whisper listing or, in MLS rules, office exclusive. The label matters less than how it’s marketed, because that decides which MLS rules apply. ## Are pocket listings allowed? Within limits. NAR’s [Clear Cooperation Policy](https://brokerandagent.com/glossary#clear-cooperation-policy) requires a listing broker to submit a home to the MLS within one business day of marketing it to the public. NAR counts yard signs, flyers in windows, public websites, email blasts and listing networks shared across brokerages as public marketing. A listing that truly stays quiet can be an office exclusive. Under NAR’s Multiple Listing Options for Sellers policy, effective March 25, 2025, the seller directs that the home not be shared through the MLS or publicly marketed, and signs a certification that they understand what they’re giving up. The listing is filed with the MLS but not shown to other members. One-to-one conversations between brokers don’t trigger Clear Cooperation, but sharing it across several brokerages counts as public marketing. Each MLS applies these rules in its own way, and MLSs not tied to NAR may differ. Ask your listing agent what your MLS allows. ## What is delayed marketing? A middle path added by the same 2025 policy. The home goes into the MLS so member agents can see it, but public display on websites through [IDX](https://brokerandagent.com/glossary/idx) and syndication waits for a period the local MLS sets. It’s different from a [coming soon](https://brokerandagent.com/glossary#coming-soon) status, which each MLS defines on its own. ## Is a pocket listing good for sellers? It can suit sellers who value privacy, such as public figures, or who need to sell quietly during a divorce or a job move. It can also let you hear feedback before a full launch. The risk is price. Fewer buyers see the home, so there’s less competition. Your [listing agreement](https://brokerandagent.com/glossary/listing-agreement) should spell out how the home will be marketed, and your agent should explain what keeping it off the MLS could cost in exposure. A listing kept in-house can also end with one brokerage on both sides, which brings [dual agency](https://brokerandagent.com/glossary/dual-agency) rules into play. For buyers, an off-market home can mean less competition. Ask your agent how they hear about these homes and what the seller’s timeline is. ## Common mistakes - Thinking a yard sign keeps a home private. A sign counts as public marketing under Clear Cooperation. - Assuming off-market means a better price for the seller. Less exposure often means fewer offers. - Believing every MLS handles office exclusives the same way. Rules vary locally. ## Questions ### Why would a seller choose a pocket listing? For privacy, more control over showings or a chance to test the price quietly. The tradeoff is that fewer buyers see the home. ### Are pocket listings against the rules? They’re mostly a matter of MLS rules. Under the Clear Cooperation Policy, once a home is marketed to the public, it must go into the MLS within one business day, though sellers can choose an office exclusive where the MLS allows it. ### What is the difference between a pocket listing and a coming soon listing? A pocket listing is kept off the MLS. A coming soon listing is in the MLS with a status that tells agents it will be available soon, under rules each MLS sets. ## Related terms - [Clear Cooperation Policy](https://brokerandagent.com/glossary#clear-cooperation-policy): An NAR policy, adopted in 2019, that requires a listing broker to put a home in the MLS within one business day of marketing it to the public, such as with a yard sign, website or email blast. - [Multiple listing service](https://brokerandagent.com/glossary/multiple-listing-service): A private database where member brokerages share listings so agents can find homes for their buyers. Each MLS covers a local or regional market and sets its own rules and statuses, and most home search websites show its listings. - [Coming soon](https://brokerandagent.com/glossary#coming-soon): A listing status for a home with a signed listing agreement that will go on the market soon and usually can’t be shown yet. Each MLS sets its own rules, such as how long the status can last and whether showings are allowed. - [Listing agreement](https://brokerandagent.com/glossary/listing-agreement): A contract between a home seller and a brokerage that gives the brokerage the right to market the home for a set period, and spells out the asking price, the commission, the agent’s duties and how the listing ends. - [Exclusive right to sell](https://brokerandagent.com/glossary#exclusive-right-to-sell): A listing agreement that gives one brokerage the sole right to sell a home for a set term and pays it the agreed fee if the home sells in that time, no matter who finds the buyer, including the seller. ## Sources - [NAR: MLS Clear Cooperation Policy](https://www.nar.realtor/about-nar/policies/mls-clear-cooperation-policy) - [NAR: Multiple Listing Options for Sellers](https://www.nar.realtor/about-nar/policies/multiple-listing-options-for-sellers) - [NAR: MLS policy](https://www.nar.realtor/about-nar/policies/mls-policy) Checked 2026-10-02 by the Broker & Agent team. General information, not legal, tax or lending advice. Source: https://brokerandagent.com/glossary/pocket-listing