If you’ve been shopping for homes on sites like Zillow and Trulia you may have noticed several previously listed homes suddenly going “off market”. Why is this happening? Does it mean they’re no longer available? Maybe, maybe not. A closer, more accurate look into our MLS database often reveals a switch in status — from “Active” to “Temporally Not Available for Showing” or TNAS. Since third party sites like Zillow don’t display TNAS, this change can be confusing. So what does TNAS mean?

Temporarily Not Available for Showing (TNAS)

When an active listing will be unavailable for showing appointments for more than 24 hours, the listing should be switched to TNAS, according to the rules of our local MLS. This could happen for any number of reasons — a needed repair, repainting, a light remodeling project, etc. A common reason this time of year is holiday activity. A home seller may be entertaining house guests over a long weekend and wishing not to be displaced for showings. Or, they may be traveling for an extended period and prefer not to have strangers in their home while away.

Another reason for TNAS might be response to a slowing winter market. Cold weather and holidays reduce market activity as people’s priorities shift. Some sellers would rather wait out these weeks or months by stopping showings temporarily, then switching to “Active” again once holidays pass. Doing so also stops the clock counting the number of days on market, so the days in TNAS won’t affect the overall time on market, as publicly displayed.

Third party sites like Zillow translate TNAS to “off market”, which can be puzzling. The best way to get accurate status updates on past or current listings is to ask a real estate agent who has access to the local MLS. A status look-up is a quick first step in getting up-to-date info on a home. If additional notes in the listing don’t explain more, a call to the listing agent usually solves the mystery. I do this often for clients who are searching online.

TNAS status isn’t the only data gap in sites like Zillow. Properties listed as “Coming Soon” in our MLS currently do not get displayed on Zillow and its affiliates. “Coming Soon” is a fairly new option for sellers in our region and is still gaining traction. Read details on it here.

Pocket Listings

The “off market” status for TNAS listings should not be confused with properties being actively marketed by agents before going live on the MLS. These types of listings have a variety of names including “pocket listings”, quiet listings", “pre-MLS”, “non-MLS”, and “off market”. The practice of marketing selectively, before officially entering the listing into a universally shared network, has been debated nationwide and will be banned by the National Association of Realtors beginning Jan. 1, 2020, with full implementation expected by May 1. Once in effect, the rule will require brokerages to submit listing information to their MLSs within one business day of any public marketing. The new policy is intended to level the playing field and maintain the industry’s focus on cooperation and broker reciprocity, ultimately benefitting both buyers and sellers.

Heidi Swanson is a Realtor® based in St. Paul, Minnesota. She writes a blog to share information on variety of topics including buying, selling, market conditions, homeownership trends, local events and more. Reach her at heidi@lyndenrealty.com or 651-503-1540.

Banner photo by Eugene Zhyvchik on Unsplash

Screenshots taken 11/27/19: TNAS listings and 2196 St. Clair on Zillow (not listed with Lynden Realty)