It should be no surprise to anyone that when you enter a listing in the MLS that it appears on a home or land search website the next day. The listing price, the address, the property details, the photos; all of the publically viewable information on the listing gets sent to thousands of websites and mobile applications within 12 hours. The decision to send listings online is made by the sellers or noted on the listing agreement, but the listing agent and their office also have some degree of control on how the listings are sent online.

This article focuses on the controls that a Brokerage and Listing Agent has on sending their listings to some of the top property search website portals, which is commonly referred to as Listing Syndication or Broker Syndication.  

This article will not discuss IDX websites that are owned and operated by SWMLS REALTORS®. There are around 700-1000 websites that get the SWMLS IDX data and follow strict guidelines on how they can display listings belonging to other SWMLS brokers. To learn more about IDX websites and for a general overview of where your listings go online, we recommend reading this article first.

What is Listing Syndication?    

"Listing syndication" is simply defined as the process of getting a listing's information displayed on other [web] sites around the Internet (source: about.com).  Listing syndication takes your offices listings and publishes them to various listing websites. Listing syndication has become one of the most sought-after marketing methods for listing data by real estate professionals in recent years. SWMLS has offered software solutions for brokers and listing syndication for more than 10 years.

Here are examples of Listing syndication “channels” that your office has the option of sending listings to.

These are the three major  third-party portals:

• Zillow.com
• Realtor.com
• Homes.com

Listings in the MLS are automatically syndicated to these sites, unless you mark "YES" for  DIS on the Broker Distribution Page of their listings.

Multiple Options for Sellers

In September 2025, Southwest MLS began offering four listing options for sellers. These allow brokers to tailor marketing strategies based on the seller's preferred level of exposure - whether fully public or strictly private.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why would I want to opt out of displaying my listings on Zillow or Realtor.com?  
The decision to publish your listings online should be made by the seller and may actually be stated in the Listing Agreement that the client does not want to market the property online. Privacy is one common reason that a seller may not wish to publish their listing on the internet. Your office may also have made the decision not to publish listings on certain channels like Realtor.com or Zillow.com. 

Why are you sending my listings to Zillow without my permission?
SWMLS will never send your listings to Zillow.com, Homes.com, Realtor.com, or Trulia.com unless you or your office have chosen to “opt-in”. The decision to send your listings to any of the Listing Syndication “channels” referenced in this article is entirely up to you and your Qualifying Broker.    

For additional information or if you would like to request a training at your office about Listing Syndication, please contact the SWMLS Help Desk at 505-843-8833 or email us at support@swmls.com.