Buyer contact
Once your home is on the MLS, interest can arrive from two directions: agents working the MLS and shoppers browsing public home-search sites. Each group sees different contact details, which is why the number on Zillow or Realtor.com usually isn't the one agents see.
Your listing reaches two audiences: licensed real estate agents, who search the MLS itself, and the general public, who browse consumer websites. Each audience sees different details and reaches you in a different way.
Agents use the MLS to match homes with their buyers. Your listing gives them the contact information and showing instructions you provided.
With those details, an agent can reach you by phone, text or email — whichever your instructions allow — to set up a showing, ask about the property or talk through an offer.
Your MLS listing proof lets you see exactly what agents see.
Shoppers without MLS access usually come across your home on Zillow, Realtor.com, Redfin or a similar site.
Those sites typically show the listing brokerage's phone number, not your personal number.
Call forwarding depends on the participating brokerage and MLS market. In some markets it comes with the listing; in others it is offered as an optional upgrade. When it is available and enabled, a buyer who calls the brokerage phone number published with your listing can be routed to you by the automated phone system — usually by entering the property's house number. Land listings are usually matched by ZIP code or MLS number instead.
Call Forwarding is not universal — it may be included with your listing or offered as an optional upgrade depending on the market. Compare the available upgrades with your listing package.
Buttons like "Schedule a Tour" or "Contact Agent" belong to the website, not to you or the brokerage. Call forwarding does not control those inquiry buttons on Zillow, Realtor.com or Redfin — the site decides where those requests go, and they often reach an agent who works with that site.
Each website sets its own page layout and contact options, so what buyers see can differ from site to site. Brokerages differ too: not every brokerage provides identical call-routing functionality.
Sellers often ask whether buyers can still reach them once their home appears on Zillow as an MLS listing instead of a For Sale By Owner post. The two examples below compare what each type of listing shows and how an inquiry finds its way to you.
Illustrative example — not an actual website
When owners post a home on a consumer site themselves, the site may show their phone number or offer a way to message them.
Illustrative example — not an actual website
For MLS listings, consumer sites usually name the listing brokerage instead of showing the seller's own contact details. Tour-request or agent-contact buttons are separate and may route buyers to participating agents.
Six situations you're likely to run into after your listing goes live, and how each contact typically reaches you.
An agent spots your home while searching the MLS. Your contact details and showing instructions are right there, so the agent can reach out to book a showing, ask questions or discuss an offer. Learn how your property gets listed in our four-step MLS listing process.
A shopper sees your home on Zillow. Your personal number generally isn't shown, but the listing brokerage's number is, and the buyer can call it to ask about the home.
A buyer dials the brokerage number shown with your listing. Where call forwarding is available and enabled, the automated system can pass the call to you; otherwise the brokerage takes it.
A buyer taps Zillow's “Schedule a Tour” or “Contact Agent” button. Zillow runs those features, and the request may go to a buyer agent on its platform instead of to you or the listing brokerage.
A buyer finds your listing on another home-search site. That site may show the brokerage's number next to its own inquiry buttons, and where the message lands depends on which one the buyer picks.
A buyer's agent is ready to make an offer. The agent follows the contact and communication instructions in your MLS listing to reach you and work through the offer. Have questions about offers or buyer-agent commissions? See our frequently asked questions.
Seller contact
With those details, an agent can reach you by phone, text or email — whichever your instructions allow — to set up a showing, ask about the property or talk through an offer.
For the full listing process, read our guide on how to list on the MLS.
Ready to list your property? See listing pricing or contact us with questions about how buyers reach you.
See the listing package available for your property.
