What is the Compass 3-Phased Marketing Strategy?
Most sellers are told the same thing: get your home into the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) fast so it reaches a big audience as soon as possible. While that can work for some properties, sometimes that is not the best tactic for your property or the ideal scenario that meets your needs as a seller.
Because the moment your home is publicly listed, several key metrics start getting tracked, like days on market (DOM), price drops, and automated value estimates.
Suddenly, the clock is ticking and all that data — “90 DOM,” “4 price reductions,” “Zestimate lower than list” — lingers online and will very likely discourage potential buyers.
That’s unfair to sellers, especially if the home is priced just fine or simply hasn’t found the right buyer yet.
But what if we told you there’s a better way to sell your home in Sonoma Valley, CA?
The Compass 3-Phased Marketing Strategy in Sonoma Valley, CA
Compass has developed the 3-Phased Marketing Strategy, used by leading Compass teams to test pricing, build buyer momentum, and protect your home’s value from day one. This allows sellers to control the information about their home and sell on their terms.
Compass’s internal data shows that homes pre-marketed before going live on other public websites tend to perform better, specifically:
- 2.9% higher closing price on average
- 20% faster to contract
- 30% less likely to drop in price.
The Compass 3-Phased Marketing Strategy starts with a Private Preview phase, where the home is quietly shared within Compass’s internal network of qualified buyer’s agents for early feedback and pricing insights. Then it moves into a Coming Soon stage to generate buzz, followed by a Full Market Launch, ensuring the home enters the MLS with demand already in place.
The Wine Country Colbert Group tailors this strategy to fit Sonoma Valley’s market dynamics, property types, and buyer expectations. Every seller’s situation is different, and 3-phase marketing allows us to meet the individual and unique needs of our clients. This is selling on your terms.
How each part of the 3-Phased Marketing Strategy works
Phase 1: Compass Private Exclusive
The goal with the Compass Private Exclusive is to test the market quietly and set the stage for success. Some sellers also choose to stay in Private Exclusive status for an indefinite period of time to retain privacy while still getting exposure to the right audience.
When your home is entered as a Private Exclusive, exposure is done in a way that doesn’t subject your property to negative signals that can reduce perceived value — no MLS exposure, no public price history, no days on market counter.
Here are the key steps:
- Initial consultation – We will sit down with you to discuss your goals, timeline, and expectations. From there, we identify what the best strategy is to suit your needs and your property. We discuss how your property is best positioned within the Sonoma Valley landscape — whether it’s a vineyard estate, acreage property, or a lock-and-leave retreat near town.
- Market-testing – Your property is shared with our internal network of approximately 37,000 top-producing agents and their clients. You’ll get valuable feedback on pricing, presentation, and other key concerns that are important to serious buyers.
- Pre-market preparation – Your home will be staged to reflect how Sonoma County buyers actually live. This includes professional photography, drone footage, lifestyle videos, and a dedicated property website to ensure your home looks polished when it’s time to go public on all platforms.
Phase 2: Compass Coming Soon
This phase builds demand and buzz before your home hits the open market. By leveraging Compass’s Coming Soon platform, we expand exposure while still protecting your listing from early market fatigue—no days on market, no public price reductions, no early judgments from casual browsers.
Here’s how it works:
- Soft launch visibility – Your listing appears on Compass.com, which is actively monitored by serious buyers and agents watching for new inventory. This lets us showcase your home before the listing is actually live in the MLS.
- Strategic exposure – We time your public debut based on how buyers are responding. This phase gives us space to adjust visuals, staging, or pricing strategy before the home goes live.
- Buzz-building rollout – Instead of launching everything all at once, marketing is rolled out gradually to ensure your home gains traction and interest as it heads toward a full market debut. This usually includes teaser videos, preview photography, short-form social clips, and email campaigns specifically targeting Bay Area buyers and second-home seekers. Coming Soon properties have separate and specific exposure opportunities that we leverage for additional eyes on your property, all before hitting the market.
- Price optimization – Buyer engagement, showing requests, and agent conversations during this phase all inform the final positioning of your listing. We’ll help you make the necessary adjustments before going fully public.
Phase 3: Full public launch
After strategic testing and anticipation-building, your home enters the public market with full momentum. At this point, the listing is fine-tuned, demand is growing, and your home is positioned for maximum return on investment. With your home finally on the MLS and other portals, it will accrue days on market and visible price drop history.
Key elements of this phase include:
- MLS syndication – Your property is launched on the MLS and syndicated to major platforms like Zillow, Realtor.com, Redfin, and more — giving buyers across the country full visibility. Those searching for homes for sale in Sonoma, CA can now find a listing that has already been established and is in high demand.
- Refined presentation – We go live with premium visuals and copy that speak to how the property looks and functions. This includes high-quality photography, drone footage, curated property descriptions, and more.
- Launch execution – With interest already in motion, your home benefits from stronger initial showings, more engaged buyers, and a narrative that reflects strength and strategy, rather than uncertainty or overexposure.
- Ongoing reports and strategic adjustments – You receive weekly updates covering traffic, engagement, and agent feedback. If adjustments are needed, you’ll be consulted to ensure we have your say-so.
Sell your Sonoma County home for top dollar
Led by Peter Colbert — top 1% in annual sales with over $300 million sold in the past three years— Wine Country Colbert Group brings 21 years of Wine Country expertise to every listing.
With our team, you can rest easy knowing that the property sale is in capable hands.
Sell your Sonoma County home without the stress. Just get in touch with us at 415.798.0203 or send an email.