Showings No Longer Allowed for “Coming Soon” effective July 17th

The SWMLS Coming Soon status has been available for several years and is a way to list a property while getting photos or preparing the home for showings. Starting July 17th, 2020 SWMLS will no longer allow Showings on a Coming Soon listing.

With Coming Soon, listing brokers can enter listing information into Flexmls up to fourteen (14) days in advance of the listing becoming Active. This allows Coming Soon listings to be promoted to all SWMLS Participants while the property is being prepared for Active status

Clear Cooperation affects Coming Soon status and does not allow any showings until the home is Active status. If a property needs to be shown, then the listing must be changed to Active status so that all REALTORS® have equal access to that property through ShowingTime.

The Effect of Clear Cooperation

In June 2020, SWMLS adopted the NAR mandated Clear Cooperation Policy. This policy reinforces a transparent marketplace to ensure home sellers benefit from the most market exposure and home buyers have access to the same listings.

The Clear Cooperation Policy requires that a residential listing being advertised as Coming Soon must be submitted to the MLS within one (1) business day. Coming Soon is considered a form of public marketing and must be available to other SWMLS REALTORS® within one (1) business day of marketing it to the public.

Rules for Coming Soon
  • If a listing is being promoted, advertised or marketed as Coming Soon, the listing must be entered into the MLS within (1) one business day.
  • Provides short-term status when preparing a property for Active status.
  • Allows a property with a listing agreement in effect to be displayed to other MLS participants prior to being made Active.
  • Indicates that the listing broker and the seller are preparing the property for Active status and is intended to notify other MLS members that a property will be made available to the public once preparations have been completed.
  • May be used for up to fourteen (14) days prior to the listing being made Active and requires that all Active listing information is entered into the MLS with the exception of a photo.
  • Coming Soon listings require the Lockbox Location and Showing Instructions, which will be used by other REALTORS® when the listing becomes Active.
  • If a Coming Soon listing is not made Active by the broker within fourteen (14) days, it will automatically be made Active by the system on day fifteen (15).
  • A Coming Soon property may not be relisted as Coming Soon until the listing has been Withdrawn or Expired from the MLS for ninety (90) days.
  • Any promotion, advertising, or marketing of a listing in this status must be noted as Coming Soon, including a Coming Soon rider on any signs.
  • Any promotion, advertising, or marketing of a listing in this status, other than as Coming Soon, will disqualify the property from using this status.
Rules for Showings on Coming Soon Listings
  • Showings are not allowed on Coming Soon listings effective July 17, 2020.
  • A Coming Soon Listing cannot be shown to one person and then placed back in Coming Soon, it must be made Active.
  • If an Active listing is not available for showings the Withdrawn status can be used to temporally stop showings and marketing of the property.
Compliance Fines Begin at $50
  • Failure to enter a Coming Soon listing in the MLS.
  • Allow showings or Supra access on a Coming Soon.
How to Enter a Coming Soon Listing
  • In Flexmls, hover over Add/Change and select Add Listing.
  • Choose the Property Type, Listing/Co-listing Member(s), and enter the Address as per usual.
  • Under Main Fields, click the drop-down for Status and select Coming Soon. This is the very first choice at the top of the Main Fields list.
  • The Coming Soon End Date is the date that the listing will be made Active by the system and fully marketed via IDX and syndication per the listing's Export selections. 
  • The On Market Date (for Coming Soon listings) is the date the listing is entered as Coming Soon in the MLS, and Coming Soon marketing may begin for a period of up to 14 days. This date represents the beginning of the Coming Soon marketing period. The listing will only be visible internally within the MLS to Participants. Days On Market will not begin accruing until the listing is made Active, either by the system on the Coming Soon End Date or the listing broker makes the listing Active prior to the Public Active Date.
  • The Listing Contract Date is the date the Listing Contract was signed and agreed upon by the seller and the listing broker.
Common Issues and Complaints with Coming Soon Listings

A Coming Soon listing being advertised on Zillow but not listed as Coming Soon in the MLS
Zillow does not display the SWMLS Coming Soon listings and these are entered manually by a listing broker. Entering a Coming Soon listing is fine but it must also be entered in the MLS at the same time. SWMLS Compliance issues several warnings each month to listing agents who are only marketing the property on Zillow as Coming Soon.

Coming Soon sign on a property for several days or weeks but is not listed as Coming Soon in the MLS
SWMLS rules require that a Coming Soon listing is entered in the MLS system within one (1) business day of taking the listing. If the listing is being marketed to the public (Coming Soon Sign) or shared on social media/websites then that listing must be entered in the MLS within 1 business day.

Incorrect On Market Dates and Coming Soon End Dates resulting in difficulty locating listings
If you enter the On Market Dates and Coming Soon End Dates incorrectly you may not be able to find the listing in searches and in some cases the listing switches to Active. This is a common issue and SWMLS is working with Flexmls programmers to make Coming Soon dates on a new listing easier to use and understand. It is quite common to enter incorrect dates on a new Coming Soon listing and MLS would encourage any SWMLS Subscriber to call the MLS Help Desk for a quick review of the dates to ensure there are no issues. SWMLS makes calls several times a day to listing agents who have entered incorrect dates on a Coming Soon listing.

Do you need to adjust the price on a Coming Soon listing?
Price changes are not available on a Coming Soon listing. In the event the seller has authorized a price change on a Coming Soon listing, a copy of the Listing addendum would need to be sent to the SWMLS Help Desk so that staff can make the price change.

The 14-day Coming Soon period has ended but the seller is not ready to make the listing Active
If the 14 days have passed, we recommend placing the listing into Withdrawn status. Withdrawn status means there is still an active listing agreement in effect but the home is temporarily not available for showings. Withdrawing a listing stops the Days on Market from accruing and prevents the listing from going out to hundreds of websites and search portals that show homes for sale.

Need to make the listing Active before the Coming Soon End Date?
If the situation arises where the marketing of the listing can start sooner, edit the status of the listing by changing it to Start Showing (Make Active).

If you have additional questions or feedback about the SWMLS Coming Soon policies, please email mls@gaar.com or call 505-843-8833.