By Nicole Friedman
Broker Redfin will now display information about Compass's exclusive home listings on its website, offering buyers their first chance to view these listings on a major real estate portal.
Compass, the biggest U.S. brokerage by sales volume, encourages many sellers to list their homes privately with a Compass agent before eventually advertising them widely. This strategy allows sellers to get feedback and adjust their listing price before going public, Compass says.
The practice has been hotly debated within the industry, with some of Compass's competitors arguing that sellers should always advertise their listings as widely as possible to reach more buyers and maximize their sales price. Most homes are listed using local real estate databases that distribute the listings to the major portals.
Under a new three-year agreement between Compass and Rocket, Compass's "coming soon" listings will be shown on Redfin starting immediately. Redfin has about 50 million monthly visitors, according to Rocket.
Those listings won't display days on market or price-cut history, and they will only be available on Compass websites and Redfin until the seller decides to advertise more widely. Redfin will also alert home shoppers when there are other private Compass listings that meet their search criteria, which they can view by contacting Compass.
Compass's agreement with Redfin is a sign that its push to make the exclusive listings more of an industry standard is gaining traction. Redfin for years opposed exclusive listings before being acquired by mortgage lender Rocket in July, but the company said its view on the matter has evolved.
The partnership includes all nine brokerage brands owned by Compass, including Coldwell Banker and Sotheby's International Realty. As part of the partnership, Redfin will direct some buyer leads to Compass agents. Rocket, one of the biggest U.S. mortgage lenders, will offer a discount to buyers who work with a Compass agent and take out a mortgage with Rocket.
"It's all really focused around increasing inventory, which we know is key to stimulating the housing market," said Varun Krishna, Rocket's chief executive, in an interview.
The partnership is also part of Rocket's efforts to offer home buyers one-stop shopping, from searching for a home and securing a mortgage to closing the deal.
"Compass represents brokerage, agents and inventory. Rocket represents mortgage, servicing and traffic," Krishna said. "And we are putting all of those pieces together."
Compass agents will pay Rocket for leads, and Rocket will pay Compass an annual fee to have its mortgage-application process integrated into Compass's technology, according to a person familiar with the arrangement.
Redfin isn't paying Compass to display its exclusive listings, this person said.
The partnership sets Redfin apart from rival Zillow, which created a policy last year designed to discourage exclusive listings. Compass sued Zillow over this policy in June in a case that is ongoing.
Write to Nicole Friedman at nicole.friedman@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
February 26, 2026 18:52 ET (23:52 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2026 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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