What Is a Coming Soon Listing in Real Estate?

If you've ever watched a home sit on the market longer than expected, you've probably seen what happens next. Buyers start to wonder what's wrong. Showings slow down. Offers come in lower than the seller hoped. What began as a strong launch can quickly turn into price reductions, lost negotiating leverage, and the nagging question of whether the home could have sold for more if there had been more interest from the start.

At Premier Home Team, we've helped sellers across the Philadelphia area avoid exactly that scenario, and one of the most effective tools we use is the coming soon phase. By introducing a home to the market before it's officially available, we've seen sellers generate significant interest before day one. On a recent listing, pre-marketing led to six offers within the first 48 hours of going live, and we've even seen buyers submit offers before stepping through the front door. While every listing is different, the coming soon phase works because it allows buyer interest to build before the home officially hits the market.

In this article, we'll explain exactly what a coming soon listing is, how it works in Bright MLS, what is and isn't permitted during the pre-marketing window, and how to determine whether it's the right move for your home.

What Is a Coming Soon Listing?

A coming soon listing is a public announcement that your home will be hitting the market soon. It's a pre-marketing tool, not a sale. Think of it like a movie premiere: the trailers run before the doors ever open so that when opening day arrives, the audience is already lined up.

In the life cycle of a listing, coming soon fits right between final media production and the day your home goes live on the Multiple Listing Service (MLS). Before coming soon, we're capturing professional photography, video, and every visual asset that will represent your home at its highest level. After coming soon, your listing syndicates out to Zillow, Trulia, and other third-party platforms, showings begin, and the full selling process is underway.

The key distinction is that coming soon is publicly available. It appears on the MLS and on consumer sites, and that wide reach is exactly what sets it apart from a pocket listing.

Coming Soon vs. Pocket Listings: What's the Difference?

Sellers sometimes use these terms interchangeably, but they're not the same, and the difference has a direct impact on your final sales price.

A coming soon listing is public. It's visible on the MLS and consumer sites like Zillow, where it carries a "coming soon" tag rather than an "active" label. Buyers across the market can see it, follow it, and show up ready on day one. The tradeoff is that no showings or offers are permitted while the listing is in coming soon status. It is marketing only.

A pocket listing is not public. It stays within one brokerage and reaches a much smaller audience. For sellers who prioritize privacy above everything else, that can make sense. But a smaller audience means less competition among buyers, and less competition often produces a lower final price.

For most sellers, the wider reach of coming soon delivers better results. If you're weighing a completely off-market approach, we cover that option in detail in our article on pocket listings.

What Bright MLS Allows and Prohibits During Coming Soon Status

Bright MLS is the regional database we use throughout the Greater Philadelphia area, so its rules govern how coming soon works for our sellers.

The coming soon status allows advertising. Your listing goes out to the MLS and feeds to consumer sites with a "coming soon" label. The visibility is broad and real.

What it does not allow is any activity that moves toward a sale. No showings. No walkthroughs. No open houses. No private previews. The home cannot be sold while it's in the coming soon status.

This is a rule we take seriously with both our sellers and our agents. When a listing generates buzz, it's natural for people to ask whether they can take a quick look before the home goes live. But allowing informal access gives some buyers an unfair advantage over others, and that's not what coming soon is designed to do. Everyone waits until the home is officially active.

As a practical note, Bright MLS currently does not set a maximum time limit on how long a listing can remain in coming soon status, though that is subject to change.

How the Coming Soon Phase Protects Your Home's Sale Price

The most important reason to use coming soon isn't just about generating excitement. It's about protecting your days on market.

Days on market is the number of days your home has been active on the MLS. Buyers pay close attention to it. When a home has been sitting for a while, assumptions start forming: something must be wrong, or there's room to negotiate the price down. Those assumptions cost sellers money.

Here's where coming soon changes the math. Your first official day on market is the day your listing goes live on the MLS. Every day before that, including your entire coming soon window, does not count. That means your home can be in front of buyers for a week or two, building real interest, and still hit the active market at zero days on market on day one.

We've seen what happens when sellers skip this step. A home listed on a Saturday might not gain real traction until Monday. By the time the first full weekend of showings arrives, that listing is already sitting at seven days on market, and buyers are approaching it differently than they would a brand-new listing. That's a position that's hard to recover from.

When Coming Soon Makes Sense for Philadelphia-Area Sellers

For the overwhelming majority of sellers, coming soon is the right call. More marketing almost always produces better results.

That said, it isn't the right fit for every situation. If you need to list your home immediately, there's simply no runway for a pre-marketing window. If you're in early conversations with someone who wants to purchase before the home goes public, coming soon actually prevents that from happening during the window.

Market conditions also factor in. In neighborhoods where the average days on market stretch to 60 or more, accumulating a few early days isn't as damaging. In markets where homes typically move in five days or fewer, every single day counts, and the coming soon phase becomes even more valuable as a result.

How to Prepare Your Home for a Coming Soon Phase

Because buyers can't tour the property during the coming soon phase, your photos and video carry the full weight of first impressions. They become the first showing. The impression a buyer forms from those assets is what determines whether they book an appointment the moment your listing goes active.

Before your home enters the coming soon phase, the goal is to get it ready to be shown at its absolute best through the camera lens. That means completing any cosmetic updates, staging each room, and making sure the home is fully prepared for professional media. Once those assets are in hand, we can market your home across the coming soon window and set you up for a strong day one.

The Bottom Line on the Coming Soon Phase

Now that you understand what a coming soon listing is, how Bright MLS governs it, and when it makes sense to use it, you have what you need to talk through listing strategy before your home ever goes live.

Days on market shift leverage to the buyer quietly and quickly. The coming soon phase exists specifically to protect you from that, giving buyers a reason to be ready on day one without a single day counting against you.

Now that you understand how the coming soon phase works, the next step is understanding how it fits into the broader home-selling process. Our guide to selling a house in Philadelphia walks through each stage, from preparation and coming soon marketing to showings, negotiations, and closing.

At Premier Home Team, we help sellers across the greater Philadelphia area build listing strategies that protect their investment from day one. If you're preparing to sell and want to understand what your home could be worth in today's market, the best place to start is with a home valuation.

Frequently Asked Questions about Coming Soon Status

Do days on market count during the coming soon period?

No. Days on market only begin accumulating on the day your listing goes officially active on the MLS. Your entire coming soon window does not count, which means your home can be in front of buyers for a week or more and still hit the market at zero days on market.

Can I accept an offer while my home is in coming soon status?

No. The coming soon status is for marketing only. Your home cannot be shown, and offers cannot be accepted until the listing transitions to active status on the MLS.

Does a coming soon listing show up on Zillow and other consumer sites?

Yes. When a listing enters coming soon status in Bright MLS, it feeds out to consumer sites like Zillow and Trulia with a "coming soon" label. Buyers can see it and follow it, but cannot schedule showings until it goes active.

How long can a listing stay in coming soon status in Bright MLS?

Bright MLS currently does not set a maximum time limit on how long a listing can remain in coming soon status, though this is subject to change. Your agent should confirm current rules before your listing goes live.

Is coming soon the right strategy for every home seller?

For most sellers, yes. More marketing almost always produces better results. The main exceptions are sellers who need to list immediately, those in private negotiations with a specific buyer before going to market, or sellers who are prioritizing privacy over price. Your agent can help you decide based on your timeline and goals.