One of the things I appreciate most about MRED is its willingness to let data inform policy decisions.
There has been a lot of debate about listings that are exposed to the brokerage community before they become fully Active. One of the most persistent criticisms is that a private listing status encourages agents to “double-end” transactions by representing both the seller and the buyer.
It is an understandable concern. But MRED’s actual marketplace data tells a very different story.
MRED’s Private Listing Network, or PLN Status, gives agents a way to expose a property to the entire MRED brokerage marketplace before it moves to Active Status. That can be valuable while a home is being prepared for sale, while photography or other marketing materials are being completed, or when a seller has legitimate privacy concerns and would prefer a more controlled marketing approach.
The important distinction is that these properties are not being hidden inside one brokerage. They are visible market-wide to MRED subscribers.
And according to five years of MRED data, that broader exposure actually correlates with fewer double-ended transactions, not more.
2022: PLN Status 3.3% | Active Status 5.5%
2023: PLN Status 3.5% | Active Status 5.8%
2024: PLN Status 3.2% | Active Status 5.2%
2025: PLN Status 3.3% | Active Status 4.7%
2026: PLN Status 2.9% | Active Status 3.4%
Every single year, the percentage of double-ended transactions was lower for listings that had been in PLN Status than for listings in Active Status.
For years, some have argued that allowing a private status within an MLS creates an environment where listing agents can hold properties close and capture both sides of the transaction. If that were happening systematically in MRED’s marketplace, we would expect to see higher double-ending rates in PLN Status.
We see exactly the opposite.
That does not mean every private listing strategy is appropriate in every circumstance. Nor does it mean MLS organizations should stop examining how different listing statuses are being used. Good marketplaces constantly measure their policies, listen to their customers and make adjustments when the evidence supports them.
But it does mean we need to be careful about making sweeping policy decisions based on assumptions.
MRED has demonstrated something important: there is a meaningful difference between a listing that is kept inside one brokerage and a listing that is placed in an MLS status where the entire brokerage marketplace can see it.
The PLN Status allows a seller and their agent to begin exposing a property to thousands of real estate professionals while retaining flexibility about when and how the property becomes fully Active. Other brokers have an opportunity to identify the property for their buyers. The listing is part of the cooperative marketplace before full public marketing begins.
And the numbers suggest that this model is not increasing double-ending. It is reducing it.
I believe our industry is at its best when we resist the temptation to make complicated issues overly simple. Private listings, seller choice, cooperation and MLS policy all deserve thoughtful examination.
Fortunately, we do not have to rely entirely on opinions.
We can look at the facts.
Five years of MRED data show that listings exposed market-wide through PLN Status have consistently produced a lower percentage of double-ended transactions than listings in Active Status.
That is exactly the kind of evidence MLS leaders, brokers and policymakers need to consider carefully as they decide what a modern cooperative marketplace ought to look like.
The post Contrary to Some People’s Beliefs, MRED’s PLN Status Has LESS Double-Ended Deals Than Active Status appeared first on WAV Group Consulting.
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