What's Happening Nationally
Compass — the country's largest residential brokerage by sales volume, and the parent company of @properties Christie's International Real Estate — has been expanding a program that allows agents to market homes privately before, or instead of, listing them publicly on the MLS.
These include a "Private Exclusive," visible only to Compass agents and their buyers, and a "Coming Soon" listing that withholds certain public details until the property is fully launched. Zillow has pushed back, arguing that keeping listings off public platforms disadvantages buyers. Redfin, now owned by Rocket Companies, recently struck a deal with Compass to display those private listings on its platform — a significant shift that signals just how fluid the landscape has become.
The industry debate will play out in courtrooms and boardrooms for years. But for buyers and sellers in the Indiana Dunes market, the practical takeaway is straightforward: the home you're looking for may never appear on Zillow. It may not appear anywhere.
Why the Indiana Dunes Market Has Always Been Different
Long before Compass coined the term "Private Exclusive," the Indiana Dunes shoreline was operating on its own quiet logic.
Turnover here is low by design. The people who find their place in Dune Acres, Beverly Shores, or Ogden Dunes tend to stay — sometimes for generations. When a property does change hands, it often happens through a conversation rather than a listing. An owner who mentions to a neighbor that they're thinking about selling. A family connection. A relationship between agents who have worked the same stretch of shoreline for years.
This isn't a workaround or a strategy. It's simply the nature of a small, close-knit market where trust and discretion matter as much as price.
The practical result: a buyer relying solely on Zillow or the MLS is working with an incomplete picture. Possibly a very incomplete one.
No two homeowners or home sales are exactly alike. Some listings benefit from immediate, wide syndication on public networks like Zillow. Others — particularly those in niche markets like the Indiana Dunes shoreline — are better served by a more deliberate rollout.
A phased approach can build demand in a scarce market, allow time to gauge feedback on pricing and presentation before going fully public, and attract serious, qualified buyers rather than casual browsers. For a property with the right character in the right community, that patience is often rewarded.
This is the philosophy behind @properties' Private to Prominent strategy — a framework that empowers sellers with the freedom to choose how and where their home is marketed, based on their personal goals and timeline rather than a one-size-fits-all approach. It has consistently outperformed a conventional straight-to-market listing strategy.
For sellers in the Indiana Dunes shoreline market, where the buyer pool is self-selecting and relationships matter, that flexibility isn't just a marketing option. It's frequently the smarter play.
What This Means for Buyers
The same dynamics that make this market distinctive for sellers create real opportunities for buyers with an inside edge. Here, preparation and relationships aren't just helpful — they're essential.
Buyers who arrive oriented — who understand the communities, know what they're looking for, and are working with someone who is genuinely inside the market — have access to opportunities that simply aren't visible to everyone else. That's not a sales pitch. It's how transactions happen here.
My work as a buyer's agent in this market is built around exactly that access. Through the @properties network, through relationships with owners and agents built over years, and through the kind of local presence that comes from actually living and working along this shoreline, I hear about properties before they list — and sometimes instead of listing.
If you're serious about finding a home here, that's the conversation worth having.
A Starting Point
The Indiana Dunes Shoreline Communities Guide is designed to give buyers the orientation they need before that conversation begins — an honest introduction to the communities, the price landscape, and the nature of this market.
Because in a place where the best properties don't always surface publicly, knowing where you want to look is the first real advantage.
All information provided on this website is believed to be reliable but is not guaranteed and should be independently verified. Nothing on this site constitutes legal, financial, or tax advice—visitors should consult the appropriate professionals for guidance specific to their situation. Bonnie Hawksworth, the Dunelife Team, @properties | Christie's International Real Estate and their affiliates, and website owner make no representations or warranties, express or implied, regarding the accuracy, completeness, or suitability of any content for any purpose and shall not be liable for any loss arising from reliance on the information provided. This website and its owners comply with all Fair Housing Act and Equal Opportunity provisions. Equal Housing Opportunity. Bonnie Hawksworth, REALTOR® License # RB24000153