However, through a controversial vote held at their annual conference in November 2019, NAR’s leadership effectively eliminated the practice of pocket listings starting in May 2020. No existing laws prohibit a real estate agent from representing a contracted seller while withholding that listing from the MLS. Yes, at the time of this writing, pocket listings are legal in all 50 states. We’ll explore their positive and negative effects on local markets and the industry as a whole, and what the National Association of Realtors (NAR) has to say about pocket listings.

In this article, we’re going to dive a little deeper to discover why some real estate professionals pursue pocket listings. Why would a real estate agent want to sell a home without listing and promoting it on the MLS? Is this practice even legal? However, the property isn’t listed on a multiple listing service (MLS). A pocket listing is a real estate industry term for a property that a broker has been given the exclusive right to sell by virtue of a signed listing agreement.

Pocket list