Why Your Home Might Not Show Up on Zillow Anymore — And What It Means for Sellers in Riverside County

by Sam And Eliza Othman

🚫 Major Platforms Are Cracking Down on “Private” Home Sales

If you’re thinking about selling your home without listing it on the MLS, you’ll want to read this.

As of early 2025, both Zillow and Redfin have announced they will no longer show homes that are marketed to the public but not listed in the Multiple Listing Service (MLS). That means:

No Instagram teasers
No flyers or email blasts
No “Coming Soon” ads unless it’s in the MLS

If your home is marketed off the MLS — even briefly — it may be blocked from showing up at all on the platforms where most buyers are looking.

🤔 What Is a Pocket Listing?

A pocket listing is a home for sale that isn’t listed publicly in the MLS. Sometimes sellers want to test the waters, create exclusivity, or avoid large public showings. Until now, agents could promote these homes with limited exposure and hand-pick offers.

But with Zillow and Redfin now banning these listings, those strategies carry serious risks — including losing the majority of online buyer traffic.

📉 How This Could Impact Your Sale

Zillow and Redfin make up over 70% of online home searches. If your listing is blocked:

Your home may not appear at all to local or out-of-town buyers
You may receive fewer showings and offers
You could lose out on bidding wars or top-dollar sales

In competitive markets like Riverside, Moreno Valley, and Corona, visibility is everything.

🧭 What Sellers Should Do Instead

At Othman Realty Group, we guide sellers through this landscape with a smart, compliant strategy that works.

We help you:

✅ Generate buyer demand early
✅ Maximize visibility across MLS, Zillow, Redfin, and social media
✅ Stay fully compliant with NAR & platform rules
✅ Weigh your options, including cash offers, leasebacks, and “fix & list” strategies

💬 Bottom Line

Selling your home the wrong way in 2025 could cost you time, exposure, and money. With the right agent and approach, you can avoid being penalized while still tapping into top buyer demand.