“A broker might not market the sale or lease of domestic realty to a minimal or special group of prospective purchasers or brokers, or any mix thereof, unless the realty is concurrently marketed to the public and all other brokers, other than as fairly essential to safeguard the health or safety of the owner or resident,” the new law states.
The bill was initially presented in January of 2026 and it was sponsored by State Senators Marko Liias (D), Chris Gildon (R), Jessica Bateman (D), Emily Alvarado (D) and John Braun (R). Washington Realtors came out in assistance of the costs, informing HousingWire through e-mail that the company is devoted to promoting for expenses and policies that support the association’s members and their clients.
“The intent of the proposed legislation is to promote transparency, fairness and equal gain access to in the domestic real estate market by requiring all listings to be marketed publicly and be readily available to all brokers,” a Washington Realtors’ representative composed in an email in January. “Our leading public law top priority has actually regularly been to build communities that have a strong economy and appealing, budget-friendly home options– our North Star for our advocacy efforts is making Washington the most consumer-friendly state in which to purchase and sell real property. Washington Realtors is supporting this costs since it’s another action towards that objective.”
The association did not immediately respond to HousingWire’s request for discuss the expense being signed into law.
Washington’s brand-new law is not the only effort by lawmakers to regulate brokers and sellers’ usage of personal listing networks, as comparable bills are pending in Illinois, Connecticut and Hawaii. However, these costs likewise enable sellers to opt out of the public marketing of their listing by signing disclosures acknowledging that this option might negatively impact the sale of their home.
Furthermore, in December of 2025, Wisconsin Guv Anthony Evers signed a costs into law making the general public marketing of a residential or commercial property is the accepted default. The law is slated to go into result on January 1, 2027. According to the law, which shows numerous elements of the National Association of Realtors’s (NAR) Clear Cooperation Policy (CCP), a home noted by a licensed real estate professional should be marketed broadly online within one organization day of the listing agreement unless the seller agreeably pulls out by finishing and signing a disclosure and opt-out type produced by the state’s Department of Real Estate.