Two new listing statuses · PREP-Show and PREP-No Show
PREP goes live Tuesday, November 17
PREP (Pre-Release Entry Property) is MLS Now’s new pre-market option. It is really two statuses: PREP-Show, where the property can be shown, and PREP-No Show, where it can’t. Both give you and your seller up to 7 business days to get ready and build interest before the listing goes Active, and both are in the MLS where every member can see them.
Get the seller form (PDF) Activation date calculator Jump to Q&A ↓
Live launch party
PREP Launch Webinar: Tuesday, November 17, 9:00 a.m.
Join the MLS Now team live from 9:00 to 9:30 a.m. as PREP launches. Bring your questions and we’ll answer them.
Two statuses: PREP-Show and PREP-No Show
When you enter the listing, you pick one from the drop-down menu on the Status tab. Your seller makes the call, in writing, on the PREP form.
PREP-Show
Showings allowed
Use it when your seller checks Yes for showings on the PREP form. The property can be shown during PREP.
PREP-No Show
No showings
Use it when your seller checks No. No one may show the property until it is Active. That includes the listing agent, other agents in your brokerage and the seller.
Everything else works the same in both: the 7-business-day limit, no days on market or price history, and public marketing allowed. Your seller can switch from one to the other during PREP. Send in the Edit Listing / Status Change Input Sheet with the seller’s written authorization.
How PREP works
These are the settings the MLS Now Board of Directors approved. They apply to PREP-Show and PREP-No Show alike.
| What | Setting | What it means for you |
|---|---|---|
| Days on market | Suppressed | Days on market don’t count during PREP. The clock starts only when the listing goes Active. |
| Price changes | Suppressed | Price changes made during PREP are not recorded or shown in the listing history. |
| Public marketing | Allowed | Yard signs, digital advertising, social media and print are all permitted. |
| Public websites (IDX) | Broker option | Your seller decides, in writing, whether the listing goes out to public websites and portals. |
| Showings | Broker option | Your seller decides, in writing. Enter the listing as PREP-Show if showings are allowed, or PREP-No Show if they are not. |
| Time limit | 7 business days | After 7 business days the listing converts to Active automatically. |
Read this
Broker option does not mean agent discretion.
It means the listing broker follows the seller’s written instructions. Keep the signed instructions in your transaction file. MLS Now will audit for them, and listings that don’t meet the documentation standards may be reviewed and corrected.
Using PREP, step by step
- Get the listing agreement signed. Your 7 business days are counted from the list date, starting the next business day.
- Have your seller complete the PREP form. Every seller and the listing agent sign it. The seller checks yes or no for showings, which decides PREP-Show or PREP-No Show, and yes or no for public websites (IDX). Every field is required.
- Find your activation date. It can be no later than 7 business days from the list date. The PREP Activation Date Calculator shows the latest date you can use.
- Enter the listing as PREP-Show or PREP-No Show. On the Status tab, choose one from the drop-down menu. Match what your seller checked on the form. The usual entry deadlines apply: 2 business days after the listing agreement is fully signed, or 1 business day after public marketing starts, whichever comes first.
- Send in the paperwork. Send the listing agreement and the PREP form together within 2 business days of the list date. Email dataIntegrity@MLSNow.com or fax 216-485-4159.
- Go Active. The listing converts to Active automatically when the PREP period ends. Ready sooner? Send in the Edit Listing / Status Change Input Sheet to go Active early.
Questions and answers
The basics
What is PREP?
PREP stands for Pre-Release Entry Property. It is MLS Now’s pre-market option, and you enter it as one of two statuses: PREP-Show or PREP-No Show. The listing is in the MLS, where every MLS Now participant and subscriber can see it, and it has up to 7 business days before it goes Active. Use that time to get the property ready and start marketing.
Is PREP one status or two?
Two. PREP-Show allows showings during the PREP period. PREP-No Show does not. Your seller chooses, in writing, on the PREP form, and you enter the listing under the status that matches. Everything else works the same in both.
How do I enter a listing in PREP?
On the Status tab, choose PREP-Show or PREP-No Show from the drop-down menu. Pick the one that matches what your seller checked on the PREP form.
When can I start using PREP?
Tuesday, November 17, 2026.
Is there a live session where I can ask questions?
Yes. The PREP Launch Webinar is Tuesday, November 17, from 9:00 to 9:30 a.m. Join the launch webinar and bring your questions.
Do I have to use PREP?
No. PREP is an option. You can still enter a listing directly as Active.
Is PREP the same as Coming Soon?
No. MLS Now retired Coming Soon in 2021. PREP is a different status: public marketing is allowed, showings and public website display are up to your seller, and the listing goes Active automatically after 7 business days.
Timing
How long can a listing stay in PREP?
Up to 7 business days from the list date. After that it converts to Active automatically. The window is firm: no extensions and no exceptions.
When does the 7-day clock start?
With your list date, not the day you enter the listing. Counting starts the day after the list date and skips Saturdays, Sundays and the holidays MLS Now observes. Your list date is the start date of the listing agreement or the date of the last seller signature, whichever is later.
Example: for a listing agreement dated Tuesday, November 17, the latest activation date is Monday, November 30. Thanksgiving Day is not a business day. The PREP Activation Date Calculator does the math for you.
Can I go Active before the 7 days are up?
Yes. The activation date is a deadline, not a fixed date. To go Active early, send in the Edit Listing / Status Change Input Sheet.
Can I extend PREP, or put a listing back into PREP later?
No. There are no extensions, and PREP can only be used at the start of the listing period. If the PREP form does not come in with your listing agreement, the listing cannot be switched from Active to PREP.
Do days on market and price changes count during PREP?
No. Days on market start counting only when the listing goes Active. Price changes made during PREP are not recorded or shown in the listing history, so the listing goes Active with a clean record.
Marketing, showings and websites
Can I market the property while it is in PREP?
Yes. All public marketing is allowed from the moment the listing enters PREP: yard signs, social media, digital advertising and print.
Can the property be shown during PREP?
That depends on the status. In PREP-Show, yes. In PREP-No Show, no one may show the property until it is Active. That includes the listing agent, other agents in your brokerage and the seller. Your seller picks one, in writing, on the PREP form.
Will a PREP listing appear on public websites?
That is your seller’s choice too. On the PREP form the seller checks yes or no for IDX, the feed that sends your listing to public websites and portals. Either way, every MLS Now participant and subscriber can see the listing in the MLS.
Can my seller change their mind during PREP?
Yes. Use the Edit Listing / Status Change Input Sheet to switch between PREP-Show and PREP-No Show, change internet (IDX) display or change the activation date. Every change needs the seller’s written authorization, and the activation date can never be later than 7 business days from the list date.
Paperwork and rules
What paperwork do I need?
One form: PREP Status – Seller Authorization and Release. Every seller and the listing agent sign it. Send it together with the listing agreement within 2 business days of the list date, by email to dataIntegrity@MLSNow.com or by fax to 216-485-4159.
What if my form is incomplete?
Every field on the form is required. Incomplete forms are returned and do not count as received until you send back a complete one.
What does “broker option” mean?
It means the listing broker follows the seller’s written instructions. It does not mean the agent decides. In PREP, showings and IDX are both broker options, so both need the seller’s signed approval in your transaction file.
Does a PREP listing satisfy Clear Cooperation?
Yes. Entering the listing in the MLS in PREP status satisfies Clear Cooperation. The entry deadlines have not changed: enter the listing within 2 business days after the listing agreement is fully signed, or 1 business day after public marketing starts, whichever comes first.
Forms and tools
- PREP Status – Seller Authorization and ReleaseThe form your seller signs (PDF)
- PREP Activation Date CalculatorFind the latest date your listing can go Active
- Edit Listing / Status Change Input SheetFor changes during PREP and going Active early (PDF)
- Rules & RegulationsThe manual, what changed and the fee schedule
- Why PREP, and why nowA message from Garry Marsoubian, President & CEO
- Meet PREPThe quick overview
Questions? We’re here to help.
Email Help@MLSNow.com or call 216-485-4100.
This page is a summary. If anything here differs from the MLS Now Rules & Regulations, the Rules & Regulations control.