How RLS pre-market rules work, what StreetEasy Preview shows you, and how to be ready the day a listing opens.
Updated October 19, 2026
A NYC Coming Soon listing gives you up to 14 days to study a home before anyone can tour it. The RLS (REBNY Listing Service, the database NYC brokers use to share listings with each other) sets that 14-day limit, and on October 19, 2026 StreetEasy announced two ways sellers can show the same window to the public: Preview and Coming soon. Here is what each one tells you, and what one of them leaves out.
Twenty-five years into NYC real estate, the buyers I see do best in a competitive building are the ones who finished their homework before the first tour. Coming Soon is when that homework happens.
RLS allows properties to be listed in "Coming Soon" status for up to 14 days from the date it is submitted to the RLS. At the end of that window it must go Active, be temporarily off the market, or be withdrawn. During Coming Soon the listing can be advertised, but it operates under strict guardrails.
Under RLS rules, a listing must be shared with every RLS member at the same time as any public marketing (a website, a social media post, StreetEasy, an email blast) or any showing, whichever comes first. It prevents sellers and agents from quietly shopping a property to hand-picked buyers while keeping it off the broader market.
| Activity | Coming Soon | Active |
|---|---|---|
| Private showings (buyer rep present) | Not Allowed | Allowed |
| Open houses (public) | Not Allowed | Allowed |
| Negotiating or accepting offers | Not Allowed | Allowed |
| Visible to RLS member agents | Yes | Yes |
| Co-brokerage required | Yes | Yes |
| Maximum duration | 14 days | Until sold |
The key point: nobody tours a Coming Soon property, not even the listing broker's own buyers, and no offer can be negotiated until the listing goes Active. The ad has to say "Coming Soon. No Showings or Open House until" a set date, so you know exactly when it opens. The 14-day window gives you time to study the listing, get your financing in order, brief your attorney, and book a showing for the first day it goes Active.
Both StreetEasy pre-market statuses show the description, photos and agent information on StreetEasy, Zillow and Trulia for up to 14 days before the home goes on the market. You can save the listing, message the listing agent and book a tour for a date after it goes live. Zillow's own Preview program does not cover New York City, so in the five boroughs these StreetEasy statuses are the public pre-market view.
With StreetEasy Preview, days on market (how long a home shows as for sale) stay at zero and price changes during the window are not shown. A Preview listing that launches at zero days may already have been in front of buyers for up to two weeks, and a price cut made during Preview will not appear in its history. With StreetEasy Coming soon, both count from the day it posts. Ask your agent which status the listing used.
The seller's side of the same window is covered in my StreetEasy Preview vs Coming Soon guide for sellers.
Get early access to NYC properties before they hit the open market
110 Coffey Street #2B
Red Hook
789 W END Avenue #3B
Upper West Side
Listing information provided courtesy of the Real Estate Board of New York's Residential Listing Service (RLS). Information is deemed reliable but not guaranteed. Sale listings verified. ©2026 REBNY. RLS data displayed by Keller Williams NYC.
For co-ops, researching the building during the pre-market period is valuable because board timelines add 60 to 90 days to any transaction. See the NYC Buyer Guide for the full co-op due diligence checklist.
I can watch RLS Coming Soon and StreetEasy pre-market listings across all five boroughs and flag the ones that fit your search.
Schedule a Free Buyer ConsultationUnder 2025 REBNY guidance, buyer's agents must have a signed Buyer Representation Agreement before showing any property, including a Coming Soon listing once it goes Active. If an agent offers to show you a property without discussing representation first, that is a compliance issue.
For current pricing in Washington Heights or other NYC neighborhoods, the market reports pull live data from the RLS feed.
Browse Active NYC Listings
Search PropertiesSources: StreetEasy, October 19, 2026; Zillow, May 5, 2026; RLS Universal Co-Brokerage Agreement, Article I, Sections 5 and 16.
Get early access to NYC properties before they hit the open market
543 W 122ND Street #8A
Morningside Heights
173 WATER Street
DUMBO
157 W 123RD Street #2H
South Harlem
Listing information provided courtesy of the Real Estate Board of New York's Residential Listing Service (RLS). Information is deemed reliable but not guaranteed. Sale listings verified. ©2026 REBNY. RLS data displayed by Keller Williams NYC.
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Disclaimer: All information provided in this article is for educational purposes only and does not constitute legal, financial, or real estate advice.
Listing data sourced from the REBNY Residential Listing Service (RLS). Information is deemed reliable but not guaranteed.
Milton Coste is a Licensed Real Estate Associate Broker affiliated with Keller Williams NYC,
360 Madison Avenue, 9th Floor, New York, NY 10017. License No. 10301213304.
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Milton Coste
Licensed Real Estate Associate Broker · Keller Williams NYC
License No. 10301213304 · 360 Madison Avenue, 9th Floor, New York, NY 10017
