A home does not have to be available for showings before buyers can begin paying attention to it.

For Marti Hampton Real Estate (MHRE), building buyer awareness before a home goes Active is part of a larger launch strategy. The goal is not to provide early access or arrange showings before they are permitted. It is to use the preparation period to introduce the property, create familiarity and give interested buyers something to watch for.

Under current Doorify MLS rules, Coming Soon listings are not available for showings or open houses. Doorify also states that Coming Soon may be used for up to 14 calendar days and that Days on Market do not accumulate while a property is in that status.

Marti Hampton Has Used This Approach for Decades

Marti Hampton says she began using Coming Soon marketing on her own listings in the early 2000s, long before Coming Soon became a familiar part of the real estate vocabulary.

The idea came from watching how other industries introduce something new.

Marti often compares it to a movie trailer. A studio does not wait until a movie opens to begin telling people about it. The audience sees what is coming, becomes familiar with the story and knows when to watch for the release.

She saw an opportunity to apply the same principle to a home.

That thinking ultimately developed into Coming Soon Homes® and remains part of MHRE's Coming Soon home marketing strategy.

Buyers Can Follow the Home as It Comes Together

The time before a home is ready for showings is often busy.

Painters may be working. Landscaping may be refreshed. Staging is being completed. Professional photography and video are being scheduled.

MHRE does not view all of that simply as downtime before marketing begins. There can be a story in the preparation itself.

Home-improvement television has demonstrated how interested people can become in watching a property change. A buyer who already wants a particular neighborhood, floor plan or price range may become interested in an upcoming home while that preparation is underway.

The property starts becoming familiar.

By the time it is ready for showings, the goal is that some buyers already recognize it and want to see the finished home.

MHRE's pre-market preparation approach connects that early awareness with staging, photography, pricing and the eventual Active launch.

Early Awareness Is Different From Early Access

This distinction is important.

Coming Soon marketing is not about allowing selected buyers into a property before other buyers are permitted to see it.

Current Doorify MLS guidance prohibits showings and open houses while a property is in Coming Soon status. The status is designed for properties that are still being prepared while the seller begins advertising the forthcoming listing.

MHRE uses that distinction deliberately.

The objective is early awareness, not early showing.

That gives buyers an opportunity to learn that a home is coming while preserving the planned showing and Active-market launch.

The Right Buyer May Already Be Watching

Traditionally, a listing becomes Active and marketing begins the process of finding interested buyers.

Marti's approach starts that process earlier.

A buyer who has been waiting for a home in North Hills, Cary, Wake Forest or another Triangle market may see that an appropriate property is being prepared and begin following it.

By launch day, the agent may not be introducing that property to every buyer for the first time. Some may already be waiting to see it.

That is also why MHRE treats advance awareness as part of a broader marketing system rather than a standalone tactic.

The pre-launch marketing comparison explains how this approach fits with preparation and launch timing, while MHRE's online listing exposure comparison looks at the broader digital marketing that supports a listing once it reaches the market.

Experience Helps Determine How Much Runway to Use

Marti does not recommend treating every property identically.

Sometimes a shorter pre-launch period makes sense. In other situations, using more of the permitted Coming Soon window may give the seller time to complete preparation and allow awareness to develop before the planned Active date.

Marti combines more than 40 years in real estate with current showing activity across an approximately 25-agent team when evaluating those decisions.

For MHRE, the principle is straightforward: a home's marketing can begin before its showings do.

The preparation period can be used to help buyers understand what is coming so that when the property is ready for its full market introduction, the audience does not necessarily have to start at zero.

Last updated: September 2026. MLS rules and listing-status requirements can change and should be confirmed for each property.