MLKAR Policy on Coming Soon Listings

The policy

Coming Soon listings are not allowed in the Florida Keys MLS in any form. Our MLS has no Coming Soon status, and members may not pre-market a property to the public before it is entered in the MLS.

Following this policy is how you comply with Clear Cooperation. NAR’s Clear Cooperation Policy, adopted in our MLS Rules as Section 1.01, requires every listing that is marketed to the public to be submitted to the MLS within one business day, so all MLS participants can cooperate on it. Because the Florida Keys MLS has no Coming Soon status, any pre-marketing that skips the MLS is a Clear Cooperation violation.

Once you market a property to the public in any way, the listing must be entered in the MLS within one (1) business day (MLS Rules, Section 1.01, Clear Cooperation). A Facebook post, a yard sign or “Coming Soon” rider, an email blast, or a teaser photo all count as public marketing.

Enforcement is in full effect for 2027. Clear Cooperation violations draw a warning for the first offense, $250 for the second, $500 for the third, and suspension of MLS access for the fourth (MLS Rules, Section 6.1(l)).

What counts as public marketing

Section 1.01 lists these examples, and the list is not exhaustive:

• Flyers displayed in windows
• Yard signs, including “Coming Soon” riders
• Social media posts and any other public-facing website
• Brokerage websites, including IDX and VOW sites
• Email blasts and other digital marketing
• Multi-brokerage listing-sharing networks and group chats
• Apps available to the general public

Not public marketing: sharing the listing with agents inside your own brokerage, or a one-to-one, broker-to-broker conversation with your seller’s permission. If that other broker shows or markets the property, the one-business-day clock starts.

Do and don’t before a listing is in the MLS

Activity	Allowed?	Why
Get a signed listing agreement	Yes	Every MLS listing needs a seller-signed agreement (Section 1)
Prep the home: photos, staging, repairs	Yes	Not marketing, as long as nothing is published
Talk about it at your office sales meeting	Yes	Sharing inside your brokerage is not public marketing
Call one other broker about a possible buyer (seller authorized)	Yes	One-to-one broker communication is not public marketing
Post on Facebook, Instagram or any social media	No, unless it’s in the MLS within 1 business day	Social media is public marketing (Section 1.01)
Post a “Coming Soon” teaser, even just a photo with no address	No, unless it’s in the MLS within 1 business day	Still public marketing, even without an address or price
Put up a yard sign or “Coming Soon” rider	No, unless it’s in the MLS within 1 business day	Yard signs are named in Section 1.01
Send an email blast to your database or other agents	No, unless it’s in the MLS within 1 business day	Email blasts are named in Section 1.01
Post in a multi-brokerage group, agent network or group text	No, unless it’s in the MLS within 1 business day	Multi-brokerage networks are named in Section 1.01
Show it to buyers or hold an open house	No	Showings are public marketing
Enter it as Active with a future showing date	No	There is no Coming Soon status, and listing brokers may not misrepresent access to show (Section 2.10)

Common questions

Can I post a listing on Facebook before it’s in the MLS?
Only if you enter it in the MLS within one business day of posting. A Facebook post is public marketing, even on a personal page and even with no address.

What if the post is just a photo of the house and the words “Coming Soon”?
That is still public marketing. The rule doesn’t require an address or price; a photo designed to tell the public a listing is coming counts. Deleting the post later doesn’t undo it, because the clock starts when the post goes up.

My seller needs two weeks to finish repairs. Can I market it as “coming soon”?
No. Wait to market until the property is ready to enter in the MLS and show.

Can I tell one agent at another brokerage who has a buyer?
Yes, with your seller’s permission, one broker to one broker. If that agent shows the property or shares it, the listing must be in the MLS within one business day.

What if my seller doesn’t want the listing marketed at all?
The seller may choose an office exclusive (Section 1.3). It requires a signed seller certification filed with the MLS, and the property cannot be publicly marketed. Once it is, it must go into the MLS within one business day.

Other “delayed marketing” options you may hear about

Other MLSs, Flexmls trainings and NAR materials describe several delayed-marketing options. Here is where each stands in the Florida Keys MLS.

Option	What it is	In the Florida Keys MLS?
Coming Soon status	A listing status for properties entered before they can be shown; it switches to Active on a set date.	Not allowed
Delayed Marketing Exempt Listing (DMEL)	The seller delays IDX and portal display for a period the MLS sets. Other agents see the listing, and it can be shown.	Not offered
Office exclusive	The seller directs that the listing not be shared through the MLS or publicly marketed. It is filed with the MLS but only the listing brokerage sees it.	Allowed with a signed seller certification (Section 1.3)
Internet opt-out	The seller directs that the listing, or just its address, not appear anywhere online, including the listing broker’s own site. Other agents still see it in the MLS.	Allowed with a signed Seller Opt-out Form, copied to the MLS within 48 hours (Sections 19.6, 19.25)

Key deadlines

Situation	Deadline	Rule
Listing publicly marketed in any way	In the MLS within 1 business day	Section 1.01
New listing, all seller signatures obtained	In the MLS within 48 hours	Section 21(b)
Price changes and all status changes	In the MLS within 72 hours	Sections 1.4, 2.5, 6.1(c)

Read the full MLS Rules and Regulations and the MLS Fines & Fees sheet.