--- title: "Delayed marketing listings: IDX website display checks" description: "Map approved delayed-marketing instructions to IDX display checks, provider field mapping, release timing, and direct property-page testing." canonical: "https://scalewithsearch.com/articles/delayed-marketing-exempt-listings-idx-display" --- ## Site navigation - [Scale With Search](https://scalewithsearch.com/) - Services - Services - [AI systems](https://scalewithsearch.com/ai-systems) - [Site build](https://scalewithsearch.com/work#site-build) - [Whole website fix](https://scalewithsearch.com/work#whole-website-fix) - [Content library with SEO](https://scalewithsearch.com/work#content-library) - [Working session](https://scalewithsearch.com/audit) - Start here - [Send your brief](https://scalewithsearch.com/work#send-your-brief) - [Example scope](https://scalewithsearch.com/work#review-the-example-scope) - [Prices and terms](https://scalewithsearch.com/work#prices-and-terms) - Industries - Real estate - [Real estate agents and teams](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/real-estate) - [Platforms, ownership, and IDX](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/real-estate/real-estate-website-platforms-ownership-idx) - [Search, content, and AI](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/real-estate/real-estate-search-content-ai) - [Inquiries, campaigns, and handoffs](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/real-estate/real-estate-website-inquiries-campaigns-handoffs) - [Buyer, seller, and local pages](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/real-estate/real-estate-buyer-seller-local-resources) - [Rules, privacy, and trust](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/real-estate/real-estate-website-rules-privacy-trust) - Browse by business - [Trades and home services](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/#group-trades) - [Health, wellness, and animal care](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/#group-practices) - [Law, finance, and IT](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/#group-professional) - [Marketing and SEO agencies](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/#group-agencies) - [Shops and manufacturers](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/#group-manufacturing) - [Restaurants, shops, studios, and nonprofits](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/#group-local-services) - Chiropractic practices - [Chiropractic and wellness practices](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/chiropractic-and-wellness-practices) - [Chiropractic and physical therapy clinics](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/chiropractic-and-physical-therapy-clinics) - [All industries](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/) - Resources - Free tools - [AI readiness check](https://scalewithsearch.com/check) - [Free tools](https://scalewithsearch.com/tools/) - [Free Starter Kit](https://scalewithsearch.com/kit/business-memory-starter-kit.zip) - Guides - [AI-native library](https://scalewithsearch.com/ai-native) - [Industry intelligence](https://scalewithsearch.com/intelligence) - [Office job guides](https://scalewithsearch.com/guides/) - [Business memory](https://scalewithsearch.com/articles/business-memory-for-ai-agents-guide) - [Agent governance](https://scalewithsearch.com/articles/ai-agent-governance-guide-small-business) - [Migration and ownership](https://scalewithsearch.com/articles/leaving-vendor-ai-memory-guide) - Articles - [All articles](https://scalewithsearch.com/articles/) - [What changed](https://scalewithsearch.com/changes/) - About - Evidence - [Proof](https://scalewithsearch.com/proof) - Scale With Search - [About](https://scalewithsearch.com/about) - [How it works](https://scalewithsearch.com/how-it-works) # Delayed marketing exempt listings: check IDX website display Check the listing’s approved distribution instructions before treating its absence from IDX as a website fault. A delayed marketing exempt listing can be present in the MLS while absent from other participants’ public IDX displays. [NAR’s seller-options policy, checked 2026.10.22](https://www.nar.realtor/about-nar/policies/multiple-listing-options-for-sellers). This guide prepares a website implementation brief. The proposed worksheets and acceptance checks are recommendations. Your broker and MLS determine the applicable instructions. It does not advise sellers which marketing option to choose. ## What is a delayed marketing exempt listing? It is an MLS listing whose seller directs a delay in public marketing through IDX and syndication. NAR gives the local MLS discretion over the permitted delay. [NAR’s policy definition, checked 2026.10.22](https://www.nar.realtor/about-nar/policies/multiple-listing-options-for-sellers). Ask your broker for the current rule and listing instructions before changing any website setting. ## Does the listing disappear from the MLS? No. NAR’s consumer guide distinguishes MLS sharing from advertising through public websites. [NAR’s explanation for sellers, checked 2026.10.22](https://www.nar.realtor/the-facts/consumer-guide-alternative-listing-options). In your repair request, separate the internal MLS record, the authorized website feed, and the public property page. A missing public result alone cannot locate a fault. ## Is delayed marketing the same as an office exclusive? No. The policy treats office exclusives and delayed marketing as different options. [NAR’s listing-option definitions, checked 2026.10.22](https://www.nar.realtor/about-nar/policies/multiple-listing-options-for-sellers). Record the actual approved option in the website brief. Avoid translating every hidden listing into the same generic suppression label. ## Who decides whether the listing uses delayed marketing? The seller authorizes the choice, and the listing broker obtains the required signed disclosure under NAR’s policy. [NAR’s exempt-listing disclosure policy, checked 2026.10.22](https://www.nar.realtor/about-nar/policies/multiple-listing-options-for-sellers). Keep the approval with the responsible business. Give the website provider only the implementation instructions it needs. ## How long should the website hide the listing? Use the local MLS’s permitted period and the approved listing instructions. NAR sets no universal delay length in its FAQ. [NAR’s FAQ, marketing-window questions, checked 2026.10.22](https://www.nar.realtor/sites/default/files/2025-04/multiple-listing-options-for-sellers-faq-2025-04-21.pdf). Ask for the release event, applicable time zone, and person authorized to confirm a change. ## Should the website team calculate the release date? Ask the website team to implement a confirmed release instruction. Provide the governing source, effective timestamp, and approver. Leave the date UNRESOLVED when those inputs disagree. A developer should not choose a seller’s distribution setting from an ambiguous status label. ## Can the listing broker advertise the property? NAR’s policy allows the listing firm to market consistently with the seller’s choice. [NAR’s policy statement, checked 2026.10.22](https://www.nar.realtor/about-nar/policies/multiple-listing-options-for-sellers). Confirm the permitted source and use for that website. Do not assume another participant’s IDX feed provides the same advertising permission. ## Can a VOW display the listing during the delay? NAR’s FAQ permits qualifying VOW display and says MLSs cannot exclude delayed marketing listings from VOW feeds. [NAR’s FAQ, VOW questions, checked 2026.10.22](https://www.nar.realtor/sites/default/files/2025-04/multiple-listing-options-for-sellers-faq-2025-04-21.pdf). Ask the provider to identify the approved display framework. A public search page with an ordinary signup form needs separate review. ## Is Coming Soon an interchangeable website status? Treat the labels separately until the MLS confirms their mapping. Use the [Coming Soon display guide](/articles/coming-soon-listings-idx-website-display) for that status. This brief addresses the distribution delay and its release path. Preserve the source label in your implementation record. ## What should the display worksheet contain? Include the listing reference, source system, approved distribution instruction, public display decision, effective time, and approving person. Add the matching provider field and observed result. These are proposed project fields. They are not a substitute for the MLS’s own required records. ## What should happen if the feed has no clear delay field? Ask the provider and MLS to confirm how the restriction reaches the site. Request a documented mapping or a written limitation. Keep an unclear field UNRESOLVED. Avoid building a guessed rule from property age, a description phrase, or the absence of photographs. ## How should you test the period before release? Arrange an authorized test with a permitted listing reference or provider fixture. Inspect search results, direct property URLs, map results, and featured-property modules. Compare each observed surface with its approved display decision. Keep private seller documents outside the public testing record. ## What should happen to an old public property URL? Ask the provider to demonstrate the approved suppression behavior at the direct URL. Record what a visitor can see, including the title and preview. Do not accept a search-result filter as the complete test when a previously shared link still exposes the property. ## Should cached cards and previews be checked? Yes. Include your own cached modules and saved page previews in the inspection plan. Ask which surfaces the provider controls and how it refreshes them. Record external caches separately. Do not promise immediate removal from systems outside the website provider’s control. ## What should the public page say while information is unavailable? Use wording approved for the observed situation. Avoid claiming the property sold, expired, or never existed unless the source establishes that fact. Offer a general property-question route when appropriate. Keep restricted listing details out of the fallback message. ## How should release be accepted? Compare the newly permitted public display with the confirmed release instruction. Check search, the direct property page, photographs, and the inquiry reference. Save the observation time and source state. Treat an unexpected early display or continued suppression as a repair requiring another inspection. ## What if the seller changes the instruction? Request an updated instruction from the authorized business owner before changing the site. Record what supersedes the earlier decision and which surfaces require another check. Keep the implementation history understandable without copying confidential seller correspondence into ordinary website project files. ## What should buyers be told about missing inventory? Use a bounded explanation of the website’s coverage. Avoid promising that public IDX contains every property a real estate agent can discuss. Offer a contact route for the buyer’s question. Have the responsible real estate agent approve the explanation before publication. ## What proves the inquiry path works? A matching received test proves the observed route for that test. Arrange a controlled buyer question with the property reference and inspect its arrival. Record the recipient and next action. Keep the test result separate from the listing’s display approval. ## What should go into the website repair request? Provide the confirmed display instruction, affected URLs, provider field mapping, before-and-after observations, and unresolved questions. Ask for a written scope through [Scale With Search’s work request](/work). Agree whether the job covers a website defect, provider configuration, or both before implementation. [Real estate website guides](/for/real-estate). - [Flexmls and Spark API: plan a real estate website data connection](/articles/flexmls-spark-api-agent-website) - [IDX versus VOW: choose the listing display your real estate website needs](/articles/idx-versus-vow-website-display) - [Seller IDX opt-out: brief the website suppression checks](/articles/seller-idx-opt-out-website-suppression) ## Related: Real estate - [Flexmls and Spark API: plan a real estate website data connection](/articles/flexmls-spark-api-agent-website) - [IDX versus VOW: choose the listing display your real estate website needs](/articles/idx-versus-vow-website-display) - [Seller IDX opt-out: brief the website suppression checks](/articles/seller-idx-opt-out-website-suppression) ---- ```text .|########||. .|########||. .|########||. |##||. .||##|. |##||. .||##|. |##||. .||##|. |#|. .|#|. |#|. .|#|. |#|. .|#|. |#| |#| |#| |#| |#| |#| .#| |#. .#| |#. .#| |#. .#. .#| .#. .#| .#. .#| |#. .#| |#. .#| |#. .#| |# ...... #| |# ...... #| |# ...... #| .# ||#########| #| .# ||#########| #| .# ||#########| #| .#. |######||######|. .#. .#. |######||######|. .#. .#. |######||######|. .#. #. .##|###|##|#|######| .# #. .##|###|##|#|######| .# #. .##|###|##|#|######| .# || |##|#||||||||||||#||#| || || |##|#||||||||||||#||#| || || |##|#||||||||||||#||#| || # |#||||||||||||||||||||#| #. # |#||||||||||||||||||||#| #. # |#||||||||||||||||||||#| #. || |#||||||||||||||||||||||#| || || |#||||||||||||||||||||||#| || || |#||||||||||||||||||||||#| || # .#||||||||||||||||||||||||#| # # .#||||||||||||||||||||||||#| # # .#||||||||||||||||||||||||#| # || ....|||#||||||##|#|||#|#||##||||....|. || || ....|||#||||||##|#|||#|#||##||||....|. || || ....|||#||||||##|#|||#|#||##||||....|. || #. . ....|# ....#||| ||| .#||| ....#. .# #. . ....|# ....#||| ||| .#||| ....#. .# #. . ....|# ....#||| ||| .#||| ....#. .# # . ||||#| .#####|| . .#| .#||| ||||# #. # . ||||#| .#####|| . .#| .#||| ||||# #. # . ||||#| .#####|| . .#| .#||| ||||# #. .| ||||| #. |#|||||. || #. |#||. .||||| || .| ||||| #. |#|||||. || #. |#||. .||||| || .| ||||| #. |#|||||. || #. |#||. .||||| || || |.... #. ....|#. |. ...|. ....|| || || |.... #. ....|#. |. ...|. ....|| || || |.... #. ....|#. |. ...|. ....|| || #. .||||||##||||||##||####|||||||#||||||#| .# #. .||||||##||||||##||####|||||||#||||||#| .# #. .||||||##||||||##||####|||||||#||||||#| .# # .||####|###########################|. # # .||####|###########################|. # # .||####|###########################|. # # .#||||||.#.|| # |. ..# #| #|||||#| # # .#||||||.#.|| # |. ..# #| #|||||#| # # .#||||||.#.|| # |. ..# #| #|||||#| # # .#|||||| .. |# ## |#| ...#|#|||#| # # .#|||||| .. |# ## |#| ...#|#|||#| # # .#|||||| .. |# ## |#| ...#|#|||#| # # .#|||#|# .# .#| #| ##|.#..#|||||#| # # .#|||#|# .# .#| #| ##|.#..#|||||#| # # .#|||#|# .# .#| #| ##|.#..#|||||#| # # .#||||||############|######|||||#| # # .#||||||############|######|||||#| # # .#||||||############|######|||||#| # # |...||#||||||#||||#|#||||||#|||||#||| |.| # # |...||#||||||#||||#|#||||||#|||||#||| |.| # # |...||#||||||#||||#|#||||||#|||||#||| |.| # #. .. ||||# .|||##|. |#| .|| || .|||#. #| # .# #. .. ||||# .|||##|. |#| .|| || .|||#. #| # .# #. .. ||||# .|||##|. |#| .|| || .|||#. #| # .# || | ...|| ...##| | #| .|. |. ##### .. .| || || | ...|| ...##| | #| .|. |. ##### .. .| || || | ...|| ...##| | #| .|. |. ##### .. .| || || ||||| || ||||#| . |. |. |#. ||||| |#| || || || ||||| || ||||#| . |. |. |#. ||||| |#| || || || ||||| || ||||#| . |. |. |#. ||||| |#| || || .# |.....#|....|#.||||.|||##.|#|....||.#||.#. #. .# |.....#|....|#.||||.|||##.|#|....||.#||.#. #. .# |.....#|....|#.||||.|||##.|#|....||.#||.#. #. #.|||||||#############################| ||| .# #.|||||||#############################| ||| .# #.|||||||#############################| ||| .# || ##||#||#||||||#||#||#||#||##. || || ##||#||#||||||#||#||#||#||##. || || ##||#||#||||||#||#||#||#||##. || # .#|||||||||#||#|||||||||||#| # # .#|||||||||#||#|||||||||||#| # # .#|||||||||#||#|||||||||||#| # || |#||||||||||||||||||||||#| || || |#||||||||||||||||||||||#| || || |#||||||||||||||||||||||#| || .# |#||||||||||||||||||||#| #. .# |#||||||||||||||||||||#| #. .# |#||||||||||||||||||||#| #. || |#||||||||||||||||||#| || || |#||||||||||||||||||#| || || |#||||||||||||||||||#| || #. .######|#|#########| .# #. .######|#|#########| .# #. .######|#|#########| .# .#. |#####||||#####| .#. .#. |#####||||#####| .#. .#. |#####||||#####| .#. |# ||########|| #. |# ||########|| #. |# ||########|| #. |# ...... #| |# ...... #| |# ...... #| |#. .#| |#. .#| |#. .#| |#. .#. |#. .#. |#. .#. .#| |#. .#| |#. .#| |#. |#| |#| |#| |#| |#| |#| .|#|. .|#|. .|#|. .|#|. .|#|. .|#|. |##||. .||##| |##||. .||##| |##||. .||##| .||########||. .||########||. .||########||. 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