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.
Gary Marsubian, president and CEO of MLS Now, said HannaList is aligned with current regulations, particularly the National Association of Realtors’ clear cooperative policy that requires properties to be listed on the MLS within one business day of public marketing. However, there are policy exemptions that allow home sellers to stop (i.e., office-only) or delay (i.e., delayed marketing exemption listing) the distribution of their listings to a broader audience.
“MLS Now values innovation that works within established MLS policies and supports transparency to consumers,” Marsouvian said in a written statement. “Howard Hanna’s approach shows how brokerages can implement new strategies while continuing to operate within the framework of Clear Collaboration and the broader MLS.”
HannaList will be available in “select markets” starting in April, with further rollout to additional markets throughout 2026. Howard Hanna is currently headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with operations in 15 states.
“This is not about limiting exposure,” Hanna said. “It’s important to launch with a strategy. We’ll build momentum first and then expand broadly.”
This isn’t Howard Hanna’s first foray into exclusive listings. The brokerage partnered with California proptech leader RealScout to launch Find It First in 2019.
The platform allows homebuyers to search for Howard Hanna properties before they are added to the MLS and distributed to large portals. In a previous Inman article, Hanna called Find It First a “true success” for agents and consumers. Howard Hanna didn’t say in a statement what the debut of Hannalist meant for Find It First, but links to the old platform appeared to be retired on Wednesday.
The launch of HannaList comes amid ongoing debate about consumer choice, listing data ownership and distribution, and market transparency in an industry struggling to find its footing in a constantly volatile environment.
The debate has intensified in recent months, especially after Compass completed its acquisition of Anywhere, giving seven brands under the former holding company the option to adopt Compass’ technology and marketing ethos.
Hobie Hanna, who is often on the same side of the debate as Compass, issued an impressive letter to NAR last year explaining why his company does not follow Clear Collaboration “as a matter of course.”
In a recent Inman interview in January, Hobie Hanna discussed the movement of the compass and provided what appears to be a clue about the Hanna list.
“From a broker’s perspective…if you can organize your data well enough at a large enough scale, it’s going to be a game-changer over the next three to five years. A lot of brokerages aren’t doing anything with their data. It’s stagnant,” he said. “…We are currently working strategically with a number of partners on how to strategically distribute data. Whether it’s listings to create a more efficient marketplace to sell homes faster for consumers to buyers who are already approved and already on the market, they are ready to pull the trigger today.”
“That means you can spend less time on market, make more impact, and get a higher price.”
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