How to do a coming soon real estate post without a fine

The listing agreement was signed on Tuesday. The photographer's files landed on Thursday, and the post is already sitting in your drafts: the twilight exterior, "COMING SOON" across the top, one line about the kitchen. What's keeping your thumb off Publish is a half-remembered warning from a brokerage meeting about advertising a listing before it's on the market.

You can post it. The warning was about timing. The same graphic that would draw a fine tonight is allowed once the listing is in your MLS, and what separates the two is a single entry. Once that entry is made, your board's rules decide what the caption can promise, and those rules differ more than "check your local MLS" suggests.

Can you post a coming soon listing on social media?

Yes, you can post a coming-soon listing on social media, as long as the listing is filed in your MLS first. Three things keep the post inside the rules:

1. File before you post. Marketing the listing publicly ahead of the MLS entry starts a one-business-day deadline to file it.

2. Say "Coming Soon" and give the date it goes Active. CRMLS requires both in the marketing.

3. Match the ask to your board's showing rule. Several MLSs ban every showing until the listing is Active.

How soon can you advertise a "coming soon listing"?

As soon as the listing is filed in your MLS. What gets real estate agents fined is the order: the post goes up while the listing agreement is still sitting in a folder.

The rule behind that is NAR's Clear Cooperation Policy. Within one business day of marketing a property to the public, the listing broker has to submit the listing to the MLS. The policy's list of public marketing starts with flyers in windows and yard signs and includes "digital marketing on public facing websites". CRMLS in California removes any doubt about where your feed sits: its definition of marketing names social media.

File first and the clock never starts. NAR's March 2026 guidance on coming-soon listings says the policy is triggered by public marketing prior to MLS submission, not by the act of filing itself, and that it doesn't apply to a listing already filed for cooperation. CRMLS's version: once a listing is in the MLS as Coming Soon, the concept of public marketing is irrelevant.

Posting first costs money. At CRMLS, a listing marketed publicly and not entered in time draws a citation of 1% of the list price, with a $500 minimum and a $2,500 cap. Stellar MLS in Florida fines $500 for a first offense and $2,500 for a second. CRMLS also runs a web form for reporting off-MLS marketing, so an early post doesn't have to be found by the MLS itself.

Here are five things real estate agents get told about coming-soon posts, next to what the rules say.

Coming soon posts: what real estate agents hear, and what the rules say

What you'll hear	What the rule says
"You can't advertise a listing while it's Coming Soon."	You can, once it's filed. CRMLS allows flyers, signs and social media posts if they're labeled "Coming Soon". Canopy MLS allows advertising on the Internet and social media. Stellar MLS allows public marketing if the listing is clearly identified as "Coming Soon".
"Leave the address off and it isn't public marketing."	NorthstarMLS answers this one directly: "No, this is still public marketing and would need to be added to the MLS within one (1) business day."
"A Close Friends story or a private agent group doesn't count."	For a listing that isn't filed, it can. Stellar MLS says all forms of social media marketing break the policy for a listing excluded from the MLS, and NAR's list of public marketing includes "multi-brokerage listing sharing networks".
"One business day means 24 hours."	NAR says it doesn't. A business day excludes Saturdays, Sundays and recognized federal and state holidays.
"Coming Soon means no showings."	True at CRMLS, Canopy MLS, NorthstarMLS and SDMLS. Stellar MLS leaves showings to the owner, and ARMLS's guide to the status says the same.

Sources for the table: CRMLS, Canopy MLS, Stellar MLS on Coming Soon, NorthstarMLS, NAR's policy text, Stellar MLS on excluded listings, NAR on business days, SDMLS, ARMLS.

A look from IPO quiet periods

A company going public can't pitch its shares until its registration is filed with the SEC. Once it's filed, the roadshow starts: management can sell the story to every investor who'll listen, but nobody can buy a share until the regulator clears the filing. Signed, Coming Soon and Active follow the same three steps. File, then talk, then transact, and the middle step has its own rules about how far the talking can go.

What order do you file and post in?

The seller's sign-off comes first, then the MLS entry, then the post. A listing that's already in the MLS has no deadline left to miss.

1
Get the listing agreement and the seller's coming-soon form signed
Four of the six boards in the table below name a seller form: an authorization form at Stellar MLS and NorthstarMLS, the Seller Authorization for Limited Marketing Form at Canopy MLS, an exempt-listing disclosure at ARMLS. Do it at the same sitting as the listing agreement.
2
Enter the listing in the MLS as Coming Soon, with the date it goes Active
This is the step that makes the post legal. Pick the Active date carefully: CRMLS's system won't accept a date more than 21 days out, and at CRMLS, ARMLS and Stellar MLS a listing that leaves Coming Soon can't go back.
3
Write the post from what you just entered
The label, the neighborhood, one feature, the Active date and your brokerage. Use the same date you put in the MLS, so the post and the listing never disagree.
4
Set the ask to match your board's showing rule
If your MLS bans showings in Coming Soon, the post can offer the address, the date or a first-day slot. It can't offer an early look. If showings are the seller's call, ask the seller before you offer one.
5
Swap it for the just-listed post on the Active date
The listing goes Active on the date you entered or when the limit runs out, whichever comes first: day 15 at Stellar MLS, day 22 at CRMLS, day 31 at ARMLS. Have the just-listed post and the full tour ready before then.

If your MLS has no Coming Soon status, the filing is still the gate. NAR has no national policy on coming soon statuses and leaves them to each MLS, so ask your board which status a signed listing that isn't ready for showings belongs in, and enter it there before you post.

What are the coming soon rules at your MLS?

They differ on three things that change your post: how long the listing can stay in the status, whether anyone can see the house, and what the marketing has to say. Here are six MLSs side by side, from each board's own rule pages.

Coming Soon rules at six MLSs, from each board's own pages (September 2026)

MLS	Longest stay	Showings	What the marketing must say	On IDX sites
CRMLS (California)	21 days, Active on day 22	None, virtual showings and open houses included	"Coming Soon", plus the date the listing goes Active	Yes, in IDX feeds
ARMLS (Arizona)	30 days, Active on day 31	At the seller's discretion, per ARMLS's guide	No wording set. Marketing follows the seller's choice	No. IDX display is prohibited
Stellar MLS (Florida)	14 calendar days, Active on day 15	Yes, at the owner's discretion	Clearly identified as "Coming Soon"	Yes, per the owner's distribution choice
NorthstarMLS (Minnesota)	21 days	None, virtual showings and open houses included	Not stated on its Coming Soon page	Not stated
Canopy MLS (Carolinas)	Up to 21 days	None. Allowing one is a $1,000 fine	The status is labeled "Coming Soon-No Show"	Yes, in IDX and syndication feeds
SDMLS (San Diego)	30 days, Active on day 31	No in-person showings, open houses or broker tours	The listing must carry its Active date	Not stated

Sources for the table: CRMLS Coming Soon FAQs, CRMLS on the Active date, ARMLS rules 8.25 and 23.3.5, ARMLS's Coming Soon guide, Stellar MLS, NorthstarMLS, Canopy MLS, SDMLS.

If your MLS isn't one of the six, the columns are the questions to put to it. They matter because the usual one-line summary, no showings and a few weeks, only describes some boards: the limit runs from 14 days to 30, and two of the six leave showings to the seller.

Two details are easy to miss. ARMLS's showing rule comes from its own guide to the status, published in 2021; its current rules set the 30 days and say nothing on showings, so confirm it with the board before you rely on it. And the rules move: SDMLS's ban on in-person showings took effect on July 7, 2026.

Offers are a separate question from showings. CRMLS and Stellar MLS both say a seller can accept an offer while the listing is Coming Soon. At NorthstarMLS, a listing with an accepted offer is no longer eligible for the status.

What should a coming soon real estate post say?

Five things: the words "Coming Soon", the neighborhood, one feature, the date it goes Active, and your name with your brokerage. Everything else is optional, and most of what gets added makes the post weaker.

"Coming Soon", in those words. Stellar MLS requires the listing to be clearly identified as "Coming Soon", and CRMLS allows the marketing only so long as it clearly labels the listing as "Coming Soon". "Something special is on the way" doesn't do that job.
The neighborhood. Leaving the street address off is a creative choice: it gives people a reason to message you. It doesn't change how the rule treats the post.
One feature. The kitchen, or the view from the back deck. A full spec list answers every question a buyer might have messaged you to ask.
The Active date. CRMLS says coming-soon marketing shall include the date for which the property will become Active. Even where it isn't required, the date is what turns a vague tease into something a buyer can plan around.
Your name and brokerage, shown the way your broker and your state's advertising rules want them.

Let's look at an example of how one listing can be written two ways. For this example we'll use 'Maple Heights', a made up neighborhood name.

Illustrative: one listing, two coming soon captions

Part	Overpromises	Holds up
Opening line	Something special is on the way…	Coming soon in Maple Heights.
The home	4 bed, 3 bath, 2,400 sq ft, new roof, quartz counters, walk-in pantry, three-car garage	Four bedrooms, and a kitchen that opens straight onto the yard.
The date	None	Active Thursday. Showings start that day.
The ask	DM me for a private showing before it hits Zillow!	Want the address and the first showing slot? Message me the word MAPLE.
Sign-off	None	Your name and brokerage

The left-hand caption never says "Coming Soon" and gives no date. Its ask offers a showing that four of the six boards above forbid, and it promises secrecy from a portal that may already have the listing. The right-hand one is shorter, and it stays inside the rules at all six.

Need caption lines or a video version?

For more opening lines, the coming soon section of our captions post has templates. If you'd rather post a clip than a graphic, the listing teaser video covers the three-scene structure.

What can you ask buyers to do in a coming soon post?

That depends on whether your board allows showings while the listing is Coming Soon. Where it doesn't, "DM me for a private preview" offers the one thing the rule forbids, while "DM me for the date" is fine at all six boards above.

Match the call to action to your MLS

When
Your MLS bans showings in Coming Soon (CRMLS, Canopy MLS, NorthstarMLS, SDMLS)
Use
Offer the address, the Active date or a first-day showing slot
An early look is the one thing you can't give. At Canopy MLS, allowing a showing in this status costs the listing agent $1,000
When
Your MLS leaves showings to the seller (Stellar MLS, and ARMLS per its guide)
Use
Offer an early showing only if the seller has agreed to them
The discretion belongs to the seller. Ask before the post goes up
When
Your MLS sends Coming Soon listings out in its feeds (Canopy MLS to IDX and syndication sites, CRMLS to IDX sites)
Use
Drop "before it hits the portals"
The listing may already be showing on other sites. Promise first notice of the date, not secrecy

A showing ban doesn't stop you naming the first showing. CRMLS says you can advertise an open house and disclose the date the property will be available for showings while the listing is Coming Soon, as long as nobody gets in before that date. "First open house Saturday at 1" is a stronger ask than "DM for details", because it gives the buyer something to put in a calendar.

"Before it hits Zillow" holds up best at ARMLS, where IDX display of Coming Soon listings is prohibited and the board's guide says they don't appear on syndicators such as Realtor.com. "My list hears the date first" works on any board.

When should you post it, and where?

Post it two to four days before the Active date, after the MLS entry and inside your board's time limit. That's our recommendation, and it's the same window the teaser video post uses: long enough for people to message you, short enough that they still remember on launch day.

The time limit gives you more room than you should use. A listing can sit in Coming Soon for 14 days at Stellar MLS and 30 at ARMLS, but a post that goes up three weeks ahead has nothing new to say by week two.

It goes where your listing posts already go: the feed, Stories, and a message to your buyer list. Two places need a second thought:

Close Friends. A good way to let your sphere hear first. It isn't a way round filing.
The yard. A "Coming Soon" rider counts too: yard signs are on NAR's list of public marketing, so the sign goes up after the MLS entry.

If you put money behind it, the coming-soon ad in our real estate Facebook ads post follows the same order: MLS first, then the ad. For what to post once the listing is live, real estate social media posts has the rest of the calendar.

What to do on your next signed listing

Keep the order and the post in your drafts is safe to publish: the seller's form signed, the listing entered as Coming Soon with its Active date, then the post, with an ask your board allows. None of that needs software. Dunphy doesn't know your MLS's rules, and it won't file or post anything for you.

What does take time is making the content, because one listing needs it twice in the same week: once for the coming-soon post and again on the day it goes Active. That's the part to hand off. The clip under a coming-soon post can come from the listing photos you already have. It's a Highlight Reel, Dunphy's short vertical video, and the teaser video post walks through the structure. You add the "Coming Soon" label and the Active date.

Need just listed posts for launch day?

Once the listing is live on the portals, Dunphy's free MLS to Social Media Post Generator takes the property address and writes five channel-specific posts for the just-listed announcement. No account needed.

Frequently asked questions

What does coming soon mean in real estate?

It means a home has a signed listing agreement and is being marketed before it's available to show or buy as an Active listing. NAR has no national policy on coming soon statuses, so each MLS defines its own: how long it lasts, whether showings are allowed and where the listing appears. Check your MLS's definition before you use the phrase in a post.

Can you show a coming soon listing?

It depends on your MLS. CRMLS, Canopy MLS, NorthstarMLS and SDMLS don't allow showings in Coming Soon status, and CRMLS and NorthstarMLS include virtual showings in that. Stellar MLS leaves showings to the owner's discretion, and ARMLS's guide to its status says the same. Knowing which rule you're under tells you what your post can offer.

How long can a listing be in Coming Soon status?

Between 14 and 30 days at the six MLSs we checked: 14 calendar days at Stellar MLS, 21 at CRMLS, NorthstarMLS and Canopy MLS, and 30 at ARMLS and SDMLS. All six switch the listing to Active automatically when the time runs out, so set your Active date with that limit in mind.

Can a listing be advertised without the address?

Yes, but leaving the address off doesn't make the post private. NorthstarMLS states that advertising without the address or location is still public marketing, and the listing would need to be added to the MLS within one business day. Leave the address off to prompt messages, and file the listing first.

Can you advertise a coming soon listing?

Yes, once it's filed in your MLS. Advertising a listing before it's filed starts Clear Cooperation's one-business-day deadline to submit it. After it's in the MLS as Coming Soon, boards such as CRMLS, Canopy MLS and Stellar MLS allow public marketing, social media included, as long as it's labeled Coming Soon.

Why do realtors post coming soon listings?

To have interested buyers lined up on the day the listing goes Active. The days between signing and launch usually go to photos and repairs, and a coming-soon post uses that time to collect messages from people who want the address and the date. That gives you a list to contact on launch day.

Dunphy is the AI marketing agent for real estate listings. It turns the listing photos you already have into listing video: a short clip for the coming-soon post, and the longer tour for the day the listing goes Active. Photos in. Video out.

Turn Your Listing Photos Into a Video →