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Early & Exclusive
Zillow’s fast-growing ‘Preview’ program
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WELCOME
The best news to get on a Friday: We’re just days away from ✨Seller’s Week ✨and the timing couldn’t be better.
Technically, the highest average selling prices of the year usually happen around the last two weeks of May. But this year, Realtor.com predicts April 12-18 to offer the best balance of selling prices, visibility, and competition, which work together to help sellers get their strongest deal potential of the year.
Not a bad way to head into a new month, new quarter, and sunny spring season.
James Harris has tried practically every lead generation method known to real estate, and with hundreds of millions in successful sales over the past few years, you can trust he’s figured out the ones that are truly worth your time and energy. Find out which of the 24 most popular lead sources James ranks as “Super”—and which earn a massive F for “Fail”—in this valued-packed breakdown conversation.
TRACK THE MARKET: Zillow expands exclusive access
After launching with just five initial national brokerage partners, Zillow’s Preview pre-listing program added 24 more firms this week, including SERHANT., Engel & Völkers, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices, and Samson Properties. That rapid growth means many of the biggest brokerages in the country with the greatest access to high-value deals are moving into a system where coming-soon listings are the new normal—and can formally generate early performance data for agents and sellers.
What makes the shift especially notable is that Zillow Preview is exclusive during the preview period: participating brokerages can show those listings on Zillow, Trulia, and their own brokerage and agent sites, but not on competing portals during that early window. Zillow is also giving these listings elevated placement in search results and saved-home alerts, which could give Zillow an edge over other listings platforms if more brokerages choose to funnel their pre-market inventory there first.
The official rollout of Zillow Preview is expected to begin next month, and with Zillow still adding firms just days after launch, it will be worth watching how many more brokerages join before then—and whether other portals respond with pre-market products of their own. If that happens, the industry could move toward a more legitimate, widely adopted pre-listing phase, replacing the old model where pocket listings mostly stayed within personal networks.
DIVE IN
The Friday Five
📖 Designing for your climate. How great design responds to the environment it’s found in.
👀 $17M mega-mansion. Kevin James just broke into the ultra-luxury market with this newly built Boca Raton mansion.
👀 What is “a winery”? See inside the late Alex Trebek’s former California winery, set on 600 acres of rolling hills.
💡 Battling low-balls. Glennda’s advice on when to re-stage and when to take the price hit.
💡Keep accountable. The question James Harris asks himself every hour to stay disciplined and keep moving forward.
WHAT’S NEW FROM ESTATE MEDIA
Cashing in on the “Grocery Store Effect”
There’s one major local home pricing predictor that even seasoned agents and real estate investors often overlook—and that’s the “grocery store effect.” According to analysts, when one particular grocery store moves into town, local housing prices tend to go up even faster than the national average, outpacing growth by an average of 6% over the following three years. But when another specific grocery store opens up in town, local home prices tend to underperform national prices by an average of 4%. And in an interesting twist, Dollar Generals don’t have the local pricing impact you’d expect—they actually tend to raise prices over the following years.
Tap to find out exactly which grocery stores to watch for (and watch out for!) in the latest Let’s Get to the Point with Jeffrey St. Arromand.
FEATURED LUXURY LISTING
TIPS & TAKEAWAYS
Curious about commercial real estate?
Last week a reader of The Playbook submitted this commercial question: What is a triple-net lease, and what are the benefits? It’s a good one, because many agents don’t realize that not every lease puts the same responsibilities on the landlord.
A triple-net lease can offer a more passive ownership model, since the tenant takes on taxes, insurance, and maintenance in addition to rent. The tradeoff is that this kind of arrangement works best when the tenant is stable and well-vetted, so the financial responsibility doesn’t fall back on the landlord. Think of it like a mix between owning and leasing—more passive for the owner and offering greater control for the tenant.
If you’re curious how NNN leases work (or what to watch for when conducting due diligence) check out the Q&A section of The Playbook, then submit your own questions to learn how the experts handle the in’s and out’s of commercial and residential deals.
HANGS & HAPPENINGS
The Gathering by HousingWire | Austin, TX | April 27 - 30, 2026
This event for mortgage professionals, brokerage leaders, and investors connects you with some of the most powerful and prominent executives in the housing industry. Hear from experts on housing policy, real estate solutions, affordability opportunities, investments, and more.
Inman Luxury Connect | San Diego, CA | July 27 - 28, 2026
The industry’s premier event for elite agents and brokers in the luxury space hosts immersive discussions, interactive workshops, top-tier networking events, and a roster of speakers including James Harris, Jason Oppenheim, and Jade Mills.
Before we go…
ESTATE RECOMMENDED RESOURCES
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