Martha's Vineyard Exclusive Listings

There is no application form. The starting point is a direct conversation with one of our senior agents. We confirm what you are looking for, the price range you are working in, the timeline, and how you plan to use the property. From there, when something on the private list lines up, we make the introduction. Most buyers are added through that single conversation.

Not as a rule. Sellers who go off-market typically value privacy and certainty over the bidding pressure of a public listing. Pricing is set the same way it would be on the MLS, against comparables and condition. In practice many exclusive deals close at fair market value or modestly above, with significantly less drama. The premium, if there is one, is on the experience, not the price tag.

Because the seller asked us not to put them there. The reasons vary: a family transition that is not yet public, a sitting tenant or staff to consider, a desire to avoid neighborhood speculation, or a quiet test of the market before committing to a public listing. Off-market is a deliberate choice, made with the seller, and we respect it strictly.

Yes. If you are already working with a buyer’s agent, we will work with them directly on the introduction, the showing, and the transaction. Cooperation is the norm, and we handle the cooperative compensation conversation transparently up front. If you are not represented, our agents can represent you on the buy side.

The terms are often used interchangeably, but in practice they describe slightly different things. A pocket listing is a property that is for sale, with a price and a listing agreement, but is only being shown to a private network rather than the MLS. An off-market property is broader: it covers anything not currently on the MLS, including properties whose owners would consider selling at the right number but have not yet committed to a sale. Both sit on the private list.

For roughly half of our exclusive showings the seller asks for a short non-disclosure agreement. It is one or two pages, standard in form, and covers the address, the asking price, and any sensitive detail about the property or the owner. You sign it before the showing. Your attorney is welcome to review it first. We send the document by email at the same time we confirm the appointment.

Direct waterfront houses on Vineyard Sound, Edgartown Harbor, Lake Tashmoo, and the south shore. Large-acreage family compounds, often in Chilmark, Aquinnah, and West Tisbury. Historic district homes in Edgartown and Vineyard Haven that rarely come to market. Conservation-adjacent land, multi-parcel assemblage opportunities, and the occasional pre-market estate from a family in transition. Most carry sale expectations between $3 million and the high eight figures.

No. The private list is built on local relationships, and the brokerage has been Vineyard-focused since day one. For clients with a parallel search on Nantucket, Cape Cod, or coastal Connecticut and Rhode Island, we will make a direct introduction to a trusted brokerage in the right market rather than work outside our own.

The pace varies more than people assume. A long-sought trophy waterfront can move in two weeks of focused conversation. A complex family compound with a trust review and multiple heirs can sit on the private list for a full year before a deal materializes. The island-wide average for residential sales in 2025 was about 168 days on market, and the top of the market typically takes longer, not shorter, because both sides are more deliberate. We tell buyers and sellers to plan for months, not weeks.

Most of what runs through the Exclusive Listings program is priced between $3 million and $25 million. The deeper concentration sits in the $5 million-plus segment, where private sale is most common. We do see flagship deals above $25 million, handled one-to-one on a strictly confidential basis. The program is built for the part of the Vineyard market where a public listing would be the wrong tool.