[Disclaimer: I have business relationships with one or more of the companies mentioned herein.]
Was it merely three months ago when I wrote in my Seven Predictions for 2026 that private listings will go mainstream?
Why yes, yes it was.
Since then we have seen the Compass-Redfin deal go down (which I haven't written about because of vibe coding and things) and now... Howard Hanna knocks over the next domino:
HannaList will roll out in April, allowing listing agents and their clients to share properties with Howard Hanna buyer agents and their clients before widespread distribution.
Howard Hanna has launched a private listing network aptly named HannaList.
HannaList, powered by software company Ocusell, allows Howard Hanna listing agents and their customers to share listings with Howard Hanna buyer agents before distributing them broadly through the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) system. The company said in a statement that HannaList provides agents with valuable real-time insights into their listings, helping them “evaluate timing, positioning, and demand” before entering the broader market.
“This is about strategy and consumer choice,” Hobie Hanna, CEO of Howard Hanna Real Estate Services, said in a statement Wednesday. “Sellers should have more flexibility in how they bring their homes to market. HannaList allows them to understand buyer demand, adjust their positioning, and build momentum before their listings are widely distributed across the market.”
The company says HannaList was created in collaboration with regional partners including MLS Now and West Penn Multi-List.
We'll parse what this announcement means. I am likely to offer Voldemort thoughts: "those that must not be thought!" The real question I want to address is what this trend means for smaller independents and maybe what they should start thinking about, like real hard. And when "smaller" means "smaller than Howard Hanna" that's a lot of firms.
Let's get into it.
