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The Private Listing Trade-Off Research Tool

Research Tool — The Cyr Team at REAL of Pennsylvania

The Private Listing Trade-Off

What independent regional research shows — for sellers and for buyers
Important Notice This tool is for research and educational purposes only. It is not an Automated Valuation Model (AVM), a pricing opinion, or a substitute for advice from your licensed and contracted real estate agent. Outputs are estimates based on published regional research averages and do not reflect the specific characteristics of any individual property or transaction.
About This Tool This tool applies findings from independent BrightMLS® research analyzing more than 100,000 residential transactions across the Mid-Atlantic region. It is an interactive calculator — the only one we are aware of that applies Bright MLS off-market study findings directly to a seller's specific home value and carrying cost. BrightMLS® has no financial interest in whether homes sell privately or publicly. The seller panel presents the full range of independent research findings — from conservative estimates to BrightMLS® study results — so you can evaluate the trade-off against your own risk tolerance. The buyer panel applies a DOM-based pricing signal derived from observed regional price reduction patterns. Neither panel is a recommendation. Both panels are data you are entitled to have before making a decision.
Seller Trade-Off Calculator
Enter your estimated home value and daily carrying cost. The table below shows the estimated financial trade-off across the full range of independent research findings — from conservative to study-confirmed. The risk assumption is yours to make.
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$150 per day
Slide to match your situation
$100Low mortgage or paid off
$150~$500K home with mortgage
$200~$700K home with mortgage
$250Higher costs + HOA
$300$900K+ full cost structure
How to estimate your number: Add your monthly mortgage payment + property taxes + insurance + HOA fees + utilities. Divide by 30. That is approximately your daily carrying cost.
How This Is Calculated

This tool combines two types of inputs: published independent research (the scenario percentages and 17-day difference) and your own assumptions (home value and daily carrying cost). The research is fixed. The assumptions are yours.

  • → The five scenarios are drawn directly from independent BrightMLS® research published in 2023 and 2025. The conservative estimate (2.5%) represents the lower bound of independent findings. The BrightMLS® Study figure (17.5%) and the Philadelphia Metro figure (15.5%) are published study results. The moderate (5.0%) and significant (10.0%) figures represent the mid-range of the independent research span.
  • → Your daily carrying cost is the combined expense of holding your home for one additional day — mortgage interest, property taxes, insurance, HOA fees, and utilities. You know this number better than any model does. The slider lets you apply your actual cost rather than a regional assumption.
  • → The 17 additional days is the median difference BrightMLS® found between private listings (37 days to contract) and standard MLS listings (20 days to contract) across more than 100,000 Mid-Atlantic transactions. It is applied to your daily carrying cost to produce the holding cost column.
  • → These are directional estimates, not property-specific valuations. Regional research averages cannot account for your home's condition, location within a district, price point, or the specific buyer pool active at this moment. The range is context for your decision — not a prediction of your outcome.
Estimated Trade-Off Across Independent Research Range
Scenario Est. Price Gap + 17 Days Carrying Total Est. Trade-Off
What This Range Means —
The carrying cost column applies your selected daily rate to the 17 additional days BrightMLS® found private listings take to contract (37 days median versus 20 days for MLS listings). The total trade-off combines the estimated price gap and the carrying cost for each scenario. Individual outcomes vary by property, price point, market conditions, and timing. This is research-based context for your decision — not a guarantee of any outcome.
Time to Contract — BrightMLS® Regional Finding
Full MLS Listing
20 median days to contract
Private Listing
37 median days to contract
Buyer Pricing Signal Tool
When a home's active days on market exceeds the median closed DOM for that district, the market has not validated its price. Observed regional data shows an average price reduction of 3–4% before homes in this position go under contract. Enter what you know — or what you can find out by asking directly.
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days
days
Where to Find the True DOM Figure If this is a Compass listing on Redfin, the days-on-market counter was removed before you saw it. The home may have circulated privately — to Compass agents and their clients — before appearing publicly. Ask the listing agent directly: "How long has this home been available, including any private or coming-soon phase?" That answer is the relevant figure for this tool — not the platform counter.
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Estimated Price Reduction Range
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Information That May Have Been Removed Before You Saw This Listing —
What This Tool Does Not Tell You

No calculator captures every variable. A home's condition, location within a district, school assignment, lot characteristics, and the specific buyer pool active at this moment all affect outcome in ways regional averages cannot measure.

What this tool does is apply what independent research shows about how private listings and DOM signals behave on average in this region — so that both sellers and buyers can enter their decisions with the same information their agent has access to.

A seller considering private marketing deserves to know what the data says about the financial trade-off before signing. A buyer negotiating against a listing that has exceeded its district's median DOM deserves to know what that signal historically predicts — and what data was removed from the listing before they saw it.

That is not a recommendation. It is the standard of disclosure a fiduciary relationship requires.

"If another agent calls to arrange a showing for their buyer — someone who found out about the listing through your network — what is your process for responding to that request? And how will I know if that call was made?"

The answer tells you whether your home is being marketed to the full available buyer pool or to the buyer pool your agent controls. Those are not the same thing.
Full Disclaimer — Please Read Before Using This Tool

Not an AVM or Pricing Opinion. This tool is not an Automated Valuation Model (AVM) and does not produce an estimate of your home's market value. It applies published regional research averages to illustrate potential financial trade-offs between listing strategies. It is not a comparative market analysis (CMA), broker price opinion (BPO), or an appraisal.

Not a Substitute for Professional Advice. The outputs of this tool are for research and educational purposes only. They do not constitute real estate advice, legal advice, or financial advice. Before making any decision about how to list or purchase a property, you should consult with your licensed and contracted real estate agent, attorney, or other qualified professional who has direct knowledge of your specific property, market conditions, and personal circumstances.

Estimates Are Based on Regional Averages. The seller panel presents five scenarios derived from independent BrightMLS® research and related studies. The conservative estimate (2.5%) represents the lower bound of independent findings. The BrightMLS® Study figure (17.5%) reflects the 2025 study of more than 100,000 Mid-Atlantic transactions. The Philadelphia Metro figure (15.5%) reflects BrightMLS® 2023 regional data. Individual outcomes vary significantly. Past patterns do not guarantee future results.

BrightMLS® Data. BrightMLS® is a registered trademark. Research cited in this tool was conducted by BrightMLS® and published in 2023 and 2025. The Cyr Team is a BrightMLS® member and licensed real estate brokerage. The Cyr Team does not represent BrightMLS® and BrightMLS® has not endorsed this tool.

No Agency Relationship. Use of this tool does not create an agency relationship between you and The Cyr Team. If you would like to discuss your specific situation, we are glad to have that conversation. Contact us here →

Research Sources

BrightMLS® Office Exclusives Study (2025): Independent analysis of more than 100,000 residential transactions across the Mid-Atlantic region between September 2024 and February 2025, conducted by BrightMLS® Chief Economist Lisa Sturtevant. Findings: office exclusives took a median of 37 days to contract versus 20 days for standard MLS listings, with no statistically significant price advantage. Nearly 9 in 10 private listings were eventually marketed publicly. Read the full BrightMLS® research report →

BrightMLS® On-MLS Study (2023): Analysis of more than one million transactions showing homes marketed through the MLS sold for 13%–18.3% more than comparable off-MLS homes. Philadelphia metro finding: 15.5% premium, averaging $53,110 in additional proceeds. Washington D.C. metro: 17.0%. Baltimore metro: 15.8%.

DOM pricing signal (buyer panel): When active DOM exceeds median closed DOM for a district, observed regional transaction data shows an average price reduction of 3–4% before the property goes under contract. This pattern is consistent with broader academic research on listing price correction.

District median DOM data: Weekly market reports covering 41 school districts in Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, and New Castle counties are available at thecyrteam.com/market-reports/. These reports are updated weekly and include median days on market by district.

Data stripping disclosure (buyer panel): As of March 16, 2026, Compass listings appearing on Redfin through the Compass-Redfin-Rocket partnership have days-on-market, price history, and price change data removed before display. Full analysis of private listing networks →

This tool was built by The Cyr Team at REAL of Pennsylvania. We represent one side of every transaction — buyer or seller, never both. We have no financial interest in whether a home sells privately or publicly. Our interest is your informed decision.

The market is speaking every day. A competent agent translates it. This tool gives you the translation.