Why Public MLS Exposure Gives Maryland Home Sellers the Best Opportunity to Earn Top Dollar

When you hire a real estate company to sell your home, whose interests should come first?

The answer should always be yours.

Your home should not be used primarily to build one company’s private inventory, capture buyer registrations or keep buyer inquiries inside a closed brokerage network. The purpose of listing your property is to expose it to the market, create competition among qualified buyers and help you obtain the best combination of price, terms and certainty.

That is why Robert B. McArtor of McArtor & Co. with RE/MAX Components believes most Maryland home sellers are best served by broad, coordinated public marketing through the Multiple Listing Service, major consumer real estate websites, professional digital advertising and direct promotion to the real estate community.

The guiding principle is simple:

Your home should be marketed for your financial benefit—not held back for a company’s lead-generation benefit.

Does Listing a Home on Zillow Really Cause It to Sell for Less?

A July 31, 2026, Real Estate News article examined a Compass analysis claiming that its listings appearing on Zillow sold for approximately 1.3% less than Compass listings that Zillow had banned.

Compass reviewed 296,966 of its own listings from January 2025 through May 2026. Of those, only 806 had reportedly been banned from Zillow. Compass said the banned listings had a median sale-to-list-price ratio of 100%, compared with 98.7% for the listings displayed on Zillow. Compass also said it controlled for market, price, agent and premarketing strategy. 

Those numbers deserve attention, but they do not prove that public exposure causes a seller to lose money.

The Real Estate News article noted several significant limitations:

• The two comparison groups were dramatically different in size.

• The analysis involved only Compass listings.

• Complete information about the assumptions, limitations and methodology was not initially available to outside reviewers.

• It was unclear whether the Zillow-banned properties were still being publicly displayed on other major websites.

Real estate academics and other industry experts quoted in the article questioned whether the available information was sufficient to support Compass’s sweeping conclusion. 

There is also an important distinction between not appearing on Zillow and not being publicly marketed. A property excluded from Zillow might still appear on Redfin, Homes.com, brokerage websites, social media and other public channels. Therefore, the Compass comparison does not necessarily establish that private marketing outperformed broad public marketing.

Sale-to-List-Price Ratio Is Not the Same as Maximum Market Value

A 100% sale-to-list-price ratio sounds impressive, but it does not automatically mean the seller received the highest possible price.

Consider two hypothetical homes:

• Home A is listed privately for $500,000 and sells for $500,000.

• Home B is publicly marketed for $525,000 and sells for $515,000.

Home A achieved 100% of its asking price. Home B achieved approximately 98% of its asking price.

But Home B’s seller received $15,000 more.

The percentage of list price is influenced by the original pricing strategy. It does not, by itself, reveal whether the home was fully exposed to competing buyers or whether another buyer might have paid more.

For most sellers, the real question should not be, “Did I receive 100% of my asking price?”

It should be:

Did my agent expose my property to the full market and give me the best opportunity to discover its highest competitive value?

What Does Mid-Atlantic MLS Research Say About Private Listings?

Bright MLS, the primary MLS serving Maryland and much of the Mid-Atlantic region, conducted a particularly relevant study involving more than 100,000 home sales between September 2024 and February 2025.

Bright MLS found that nearly 90% of properties that began as office-exclusive listings were ultimately moved into standard MLS marketing before they sold. Only 557 of 4,173 office-exclusive listings closed without first converting to a standard MLS listing.

The research also found:

• Standard listings had a median time to contract of 20 days.

• Listings beginning as office exclusives had a median time to contract of 37 days.

• Starting as an office exclusive added an average of approximately 17 days to the process.

• After controlling for location, property characteristics and brokerage, office-exclusive premarketing produced no statistically significant sale-price advantage.

Bright MLS also reported that private listings can significantly reduce the inventory visible to ordinary buyers. In some Mid-Atlantic ZIP codes, publicly available inventory would have been more than 20% higher if privately marketed properties had been broadly accessible.

That research does not prove that every private listing produces a poor outcome. It does, however, challenge the idea that withholding a property from the broader market routinely creates a financial advantage for sellers.

How Broad Public Marketing Supports Fair Housing

The federal Fair Housing Act prohibits discrimination in housing based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status and disability. Maryland provides additional protections, including marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, source of income and military status. Maryland law also prohibits discriminatory advertising, steering, falsely claiming a property is unavailable and treating qualified people differently because of a protected characteristic. 

A private listing is not automatically a fair-housing violation. Sellers may have legitimate reasons for requesting confidentiality, including personal security, sensitive family circumstances or a strong desire for privacy.

Nevertheless, private networks create an obvious equal-access concern: people cannot compete for a home if they never learn that it is available.

NAR states that MLS policies are intended to support fair housing by giving buyers and their agents equal access to important property information. Its consumer guidance says that submitting publicly marketed properties to the MLS promotes equal opportunity, access and fair housing.

Broad MLS exposure therefore serves several important purposes:

• It makes property information available to agents from competing brokerages.

• It allows buyers to discover homes without first joining one company’s private network.

• It reduces the opportunity for selective sharing.

• It creates a more consistent and documented marketing process.

• It gives sellers access to buyers beyond one agent’s or brokerage’s existing database.

Public marketing does not guarantee fair-housing compliance. An agent must still use nondiscriminatory advertising, showing, communication and offer-presentation practices. But broad access is a much more transparent starting point than selectively introducing a home to a limited group.

Who Benefits When a Brokerage Controls the Inventory?

Large real estate websites and brokerages operate businesses. Many generate revenue by attracting buyers, collecting inquiries, selling advertising, offering mortgage services or connecting consumers with agents.

There is nothing inherently improper about generating leads. Every successful real estate company markets for business.

The potential conflict arises when a brokerage’s desire to control buyer relationships begins influencing the seller’s marketing plan.

A private listing network may provide the brokerage with:

• Exclusive buyer registrations.

• More opportunities to represent both sides of transactions.

• Greater control over buyer inquiries.

• Proprietary inventory that competing agents cannot easily access.

• A reason for consumers to remain inside that company’s ecosystem.

Those advantages may be valuable to the brokerage. They do not automatically translate into a higher sale price for the homeowner.

Robert B. McArtor believes sellers should ask a direct question before agreeing to any private or phased marketing program:

How does limiting the number of people who can see my property increase competition for my home?

The listing agent should be able to answer that question with relevant local evidence—not simply company talking points.

More Buyers Can Mean More Competition

Broad exposure does not mean every property will receive multiple offers. Market conditions, location, condition, pricing and buyer demand all matter.

But reaching more qualified buyers generally creates more opportunities for:

• Additional showings.

• Competing offers.

• Stronger financing.

• Higher down payments.

• Fewer contingencies.

• Better settlement dates.

• Backup contracts.

• Improved negotiating leverage.

The highest offer is not always the best offer. A professional listing agent must compare price, financing, appraisal risk, inspection terms, seller assistance, settlement timing and the buyer’s ability to perform.

However, an agent cannot evaluate competing offers that were never generated because much of the buying public did not know the home was available.

Robert B. McArtor’s Seller-First Marketing Philosophy

Robert B. McArtor brings decades of experience in traditional real estate sales, auctions, estate properties, residential marketing, commercial real estate and negotiation.

Through McArtor & Co. with RE/MAX Components, Robert serves sellers throughout Harford County, Baltimore County, Cecil County, Baltimore City and surrounding Maryland communities.

His seller-first philosophy is built on five commitments.

1. Expose the Property to the Marketplace

Unless the seller has a specific and informed reason to request privacy, the property should be made available through Bright MLS and appropriate public marketing channels.

2. Create a Coordinated Launch

Professional photography, compelling property descriptions, strategic pricing, online promotion, agent outreach and showing preparation should work together to create maximum initial interest.

3. Market Beyond a Single Website

Zillow may be one source of buyer attention, but it should not be the entire marketing plan. Robert uses a broader strategy that can include MLS distribution, major consumer websites, social media, email marketing, video, direct agent communication, open houses and targeted local promotion.

4. Present Every Offer Objectively

The seller should receive a complete explanation of each offer’s price, terms, financing, contingencies and potential risks.

5. Put the Seller’s Goals Ahead of the Platform

A marketing strategy should not be chosen because it benefits Zillow, Compass, RE/MAX or any other corporation. It should be chosen because it is appropriate for the individual homeowner.

That is the difference between being company-centered and being client-centered.

Are There Situations Where a Private Listing Makes Sense?

Yes—but privacy should be an informed seller decision, not the automatic first stage of a companywide marketing system.

A private or limited-exposure strategy may be appropriate when:

• The seller faces a genuine security concern.

• A public figure requires confidentiality.

• Divorce, guardianship or estate circumstances require discretion.

• The seller does not want photographs or property details online.

• The property has unusual showing or occupancy restrictions.

• The seller values privacy more than maximum exposure.

NAR recognizes office-exclusive and delayed-marketing options. An office-exclusive property may be withheld from public marketing, while a delayed-marketing listing may appear in the MLS without immediate public website distribution for a locally established period. 

The seller should receive a clear explanation of what exposure is being surrendered, who will be able to see the property and how the limitation could affect competition.

The Best Marketing Strategy Is Seller-First, Not Platform-First

The debate should not be reduced to Compass versus Zillow.

Zillow has business interests. Compass has business interests. Every brokerage and real estate portal has business interests.

The listing agent’s fiduciary responsibility, however, is to the client.

For the typical Maryland homeowner seeking the strongest possible financial outcome, broad MLS exposure remains the most transparent and logical starting point. It gives more agents and qualified buyers an opportunity to discover the property, reduces dependence on one company’s network and creates better conditions for genuine market competition.

Robert B. McArtor’s position is straightforward:

Do not hide a seller’s greatest financial asset merely to make a brokerage’s buyer pipeline more exclusive. Open the market, promote the property professionally and allow qualified buyers to compete.

For Maryland sellers who want experienced representation, broad marketing and a strategy focused on their interests, Robert B. McArtor and McArtor & Co. with RE/MAX Components provide the experience and local knowledge needed to move forward confidently.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does a home have to be publicly listed to comply with fair-housing laws?

Not in every situation. A properly authorized private listing can be lawful. However, broad MLS exposure supports fair-housing goals by making information available to more buyers and reducing selective access. Public marketing is generally the most transparent default, but it does not replace the agent’s obligation to avoid discrimination throughout the transaction. 

Are pocket listings illegal in Maryland?

Pocket or office-exclusive listings are not automatically illegal. The seller may choose limited exposure for privacy or another legitimate reason, subject to the listing agreement, local MLS requirements, brokerage rules and applicable law. The seller should provide informed written instructions and understand the potential consequences. 

Do private listings sell for more money?

Not necessarily. Bright MLS research found no statistically significant price advantage for office-exclusive premarketing after controlling for location and property characteristics. It also found that listings beginning as office exclusives took longer to reach a contract.

Did the Compass study prove Zillow lowers home values?

No. The study reported an association between Zillow-banned listings and a higher sale-to-list-price ratio, but it did not establish that Zillow exposure caused lower sale prices. Questions remain about the comparison groups, methodology and whether the banned properties were still publicly marketed elsewhere. 

Why can sale-to-list-price ratios be misleading?

The ratio depends on the original asking price. A home priced below market may sell for 100% or more of its list price while still producing less money than a properly priced home that sells for 98% of its asking price. Sellers should focus on net proceeds, terms and the property’s competitive market value.

Why do brokerages promote private listing networks?

Brokerages may argue that private networks allow sellers to test pricing, protect privacy or build early interest. These networks may also help the brokerage capture buyer inquiries and keep transactions within its own ecosystem. Sellers should ask how the strategy specifically improves their outcome.

What is the best way to get the highest price for a Maryland home?

No agent can guarantee the highest price. The strongest opportunity generally comes from accurate pricing, proper preparation, professional photography, broad MLS distribution, digital promotion, easy showing access and skilled multiple-offer negotiation.

Can a Coming Soon listing provide preparation time without hiding the property?

Often, yes. A Coming Soon status can alert agents and potentially consumers that a property is preparing to enter the market while delaying showings. Local MLS rules determine how the status can be used and whether the property is syndicated publicly.

How does Robert B. McArtor market Maryland homes?

Robert develops a customized plan that can include Bright MLS exposure, major consumer websites, professional photography, video, social media, email promotion, agent outreach, open houses and targeted marketing. The strategy is designed around the seller’s goals rather than a single company’s lead-generation system.

What Maryland areas does Robert B. McArtor serve?

Robert and McArtor & Co. with RE/MAX Components primarily serve Harford County, Baltimore County, Cecil County, Baltimore City and surrounding Maryland communities.

This article is provided for general educational and marketing purposes and should not be interpreted as legal advice.