By Gia Freer, Broker of Record, PBP Real Estate — twenty-six years selling homes from Boca Raton to the Palm Beaches.
For most South Florida sellers, a full-market MLS listing is the better way to sell. Independent research consistently finds that homes sold on the open market bring a higher price than homes sold privately — because price discovery needs every qualified buyer competing at the same time, not a hand-picked subset. A pre-market or “private exclusive” launch can still make sense in specific situations, but it is a trade-off you should agree to deliberately and in writing, not a default.
Pre-market vs. full-market: side by side
| Pre-market / private launch | Full-market MLS listing | |
|---|---|---|
| Who sees the home | One brokerage's buyers and agents, plus select portals | Every agent and buyer in the market, all major portals |
| Competition for your home | Limited — a subset of buyers | Maximum — simultaneous competing buyers |
| Price evidence | Feedback from a small pool | The whole market votes on your price |
| Days-on-market clock | Usually paused | Running from day one |
| Privacy | Higher — fewer showings, no public record of marketing | Standard — photos and price are public |
| Typically best for | Sellers who value privacy or speed over the last few percent | Sellers who want the highest achievable price |
What the research says
- A 2023 study by Bright MLS and Drexel University — the largest of its kind, covering more than one million transactions from 2019 through early 2023 — found homes listed on the MLS sold for 17.5% more than comparable homes sold off-MLS.
- Zillow research published in 2025 found off-MLS sellers typically gave up 1.5% of the sale price (a median of $4,975) in 2023–2024, with sellers collectively leaving more than $1 billion on the table.
- Zillow's 2026 follow-up confirmed the pattern for a third straight year: off-MLS sellers typically sold for 1.3% less, a combined $1.36 billion over three years.
- Some brokerages promote pre-market launches using internal studies of their own sales. Those results have not been reproduced by independent researchers, and off-MLS marketing practices are currently under regulatory scrutiny.
When a pre-market window can make sense
Privacy during a divorce or estate situation, a tenant in place, a home that needs staging or repairs before photos, or a seller who needs certainty of timing more than the last dollar. In those cases we sometimes run a short, deliberate pre-market period — with the trade-off documented in writing — and then launch to the full market. What we do not recommend is treating a private launch as the strategy by itself.
Questions sellers ask us
Does selling off-market save me commission?
Usually not. The listing agreement works the same way, and the research above suggests the bigger cost of an off-market sale is the price you accept, not the fee you pay.
Is a “Coming Soon” listing the same as pre-market?
Close. A Coming Soon status announces the home before showings begin, usually for days, not weeks. It builds awareness while keeping the days-on-market clock paused. A true pre-market or “office exclusive” sale never reaches the open market at all — that is where the research shows sellers give up the most.
Can I test a higher price pre-market and then adjust?
You can, but buyers and their agents see the full price history once you list. A short pre-market test rarely stays secret, and an overpriced debut can cost you leverage in the first two weeks — the window when your home gets the most attention.
What should I ask an agent who recommends a private launch?
Ask three things: who exactly will see my home, what independent evidence supports a private launch getting me more money, and will you put the trade-off in writing? A good agent will answer all three in plain language.
Thinking about selling from Boca Raton to the Palm Beaches? See what your home is worth — every opinion of value comes from Gia in writing, after she has seen the property.