How we use NWMLS First Look for Eastside sellers
First Look, in plain English
We want to start with the basics. First Look is a new, optional Northwest MLS listing status that took effect September 4, 2026. It was created to give sellers preparation time before a home becomes Active.
It gives you up to 21 days to get your home ready for photography, staging and repairs. During that time, we can keep the preparation moving while the listing is entered into NWMLS and visible to every member broker from day one.
You stay in control, and we help you set the boundaries. You decide whether showings happen during the First Look window. You also decide whether your home appears broadly on public home-search sites through IDX or through more tailored public marketing.
When your home moves to Active, its public day count, now called Days Active, starts at zero. There is also no public price-drop history during First Look, so we can use the preparation window without adding either to the public record.
We want to be clear: First Look is not a private listing, a pocket listing or an office-exclusive listing. Every NWMLS broker can see it.
Why does that matter? We can help you build early awareness and buyer demand while your home is being prepared. We can also use real feedback to test pricing before day one on the market, then guide you into Active with a clearer read on the response.
First Look can support early demand, buyer feedback and pricing insight without displaying public price drops or public days on market during the period. We help you weigh that benefit against the realities of your home, your timing and local competition.
Build early demand
We introduce your home before Active and watch closely for what resonates with Eastside buyers.
Read buyer feedback
We translate early reactions into useful guidance about your home's positioning.
Plan showings
We help you decide whether broker showings and client visits serve your goals.
Consider open houses
We recommend an open house only when it supports the strategy we set together.
Evaluate offers
If an offer arrives, we help you assess its terms within the full market picture.
Transition to Active
We coordinate the move to Active around your goals, timing and market response.
Why this matters to our sellers
The August 31 settlement with NWMLS created First Look and gives us another option to consider for your Eastside sale.
The value is not simply having another status. It is having Shane and Anne beside you to interpret early demand, buyer feedback and pricing signals, then recommend the next move with confidence.
We present the details that help buyers connect with the way a home lives.
Why the Shane and Anne Group
Pricing and positioning
We shape your strategy with Eastside market knowledge, neighborhood context, competing inventory and the buyers most likely to respond.
Complete listing media
We give your home professional photography, cinematic video, a 3D tour and a dedicated property website so its story feels complete.
Marketing and distribution
We coordinate digital marketing and broad distribution so your home's presentation stays polished and consistent at every stage.
Guidance from interest to offer
We keep you informed, coordinate showings and open houses, interpret buyer feedback and guide your offer decisions personally.
Tell us about your home and your next move. We'll give you a clear, personal perspective on First Look and the strongest path for your Eastside sale.
The Shane & Anne Group
P. 206-915-7653 (SOLD)
[email protected]
www.shaneandanne.com
Sources: Northwest MLS, 'Northwest MLS Expands Listing Options,' August 31, 2026; Compass, 'Compass-NWMLS Settlement Gives Washington State Homeowners Phased Marketing Choices for the First Time Ever,' August 31, 2026.