What Is a Pocket Listing and Why Would a Seller Use One?

Imagine you have news to share, but instead of a tweet or other post on social media that anyone can see, you send a direct message to a few select people. A pocket listing in real estate is similar in concept.

Simply put, with a pocket listing, a home for sale isn’t marketed through the usual public channels. Instead, the agent finds a buyer through word of mouth and their own private network — keeping the listing in their proverbial “pocket.”

Pocket listings occasionally have value for sellers who want privacy, but the National Association of Realtors (NAR) and individual agents say they can limit transparency in transactions and, for sellers, restrict the potential buyer pool.

“I can’t say I love pocket listings,” says Margaret Wilcox, a top real estate agent serving Hartford County, Connecticut, and a real estate agent of 25 years. “It isn’t exactly the best-case scenario for the seller.”

Let’s look closer at pocket listings and how they differ from a traditional sale.