How Realtors Can Find Homes Before They’re Listed

Searching for Beacon Hill homes for sale? It’s a seller’s market now with little inventory available, so you might want to look for other ways to buy homes, like finding unlisted properties. But how do you and your real estate agent find properties before they’re even listed? Here’s how.

There are several reasons home sellers choose not to list their property on the Beacon Hill real estate market and instead decide to take home offers from savvy home buyers. For instance, they might want to protect their privacy. Celebrities and high-profile sellers want to keep their addresses and identities under wraps, so they will steer clear of any home showings or public home marketing.

 

They might also not be willing or ready to do the work required to get their property ready for the MLS. Selling a property through traditional real estate channels usually involves a lot of home projects and fixing up, including decluttering and significant maintenance projects. Many home sellers prefer to entertain offers without cleaning up the property first.

 

Furthermore, they might not be actively trying to move but are open to the idea. In other words, they might want to test out the waters before actively listing or selling their home. There’s also a mentality among some home sellers that the exclusiveness of an off-market home could lead to more serious home buyers increasing their offers.

One of the most significant benefits of off-market home listings for sellers is that they don’t need to prep their home for listing, saving them plenty of money and time. Off-market listings can also help sellers and buyers relax while negotiating since there’s little concern about other buyers swooping in.

 

For buyers, the most significant advantage of buying an off-market property is avoiding the stress of a traditional transaction. Since it’s a seller’s market in Beacon Hill, dozens of home offers are coming in on properties listed on the market, which leads to buyers increasing their offers to beat the competition. There’s a better chance that your offer will be accepted if you bid on an off-market property.

Here are some of the best tips for finding off-market listings.

A successful and experienced Beacon Hill real estate agent has a vast network of real estate agents and homeowners with keys to dream homes and pocket listings. A real estate agent from a big office might give their coworkers or colleagues intelligence on current pocket listings. They might also have connections with agents at other offices willing to share listings before they hit the real estate market.

It also helps to explore the Beacon Hill neighborhood, either on your own or with your real estate agent, to find a secret real estate listing. You can attend open houses in the area, even if you’re not interested in the specific listing, to get a sense of the local Beacon Hill market and meet neighbors interested in eventually selling their properties.

 

Walk through the neighborhood and see if any of the properties catch your eye. Then either you or your real estate agent can reach out to see if the homeowner is interested in selling. You can typically find the homeowner’s contact info on the municipal tax records.

Everyone knows that networking is the key to any successful career, and it could also be the key to helping you find the perfect secret or off-market listing. Let all of your colleagues, family members, and friends know that you’re looking into buying a home, particularly if they have connections in Beacon Hill, since someone might know of someone in Beacon Hill who is considering selling. Social clubs and groups like professional organizations, the Junior League, and country clubs are also excellent resources for insider intelligence on possible sellers.

Suppose the Beacon Hill community you’re looking at has a homeowner’s association or board. In that case, you should contact the HOA or board to determine if they know of any residents who are thinking about selling sometime soon. Most neighborhoods and communities have their own Nextdoor or Facebook groups, which are great platforms for learning about secret listings or soon-to-be-listed properties.

Homeowners at risk of losing their properties are usually more interested in the prospect of walking away with cash instead of losing their homes to foreclosure. So it might help to track down homes either in foreclosure or at risk of foreclosure.

 

You can use online services to identify properties in Beacon Hill where the homeowners are delinquent on their mortgage payments. You or your real estate agent can then reach out to the owners and make them an offer. You will most likely be able to purchase the home for a steal and then put the money you save into rehabilitating and renovating the property.

Another great way to find off-market listings is through advertising your interest in buying to homeowners in the area. You can try advertising to homeowners through a mass mailing if you are willing to invest some cash into finding an off-market home listing. Write a concise letter for the residents of your dream Beacon Hill neighborhood. Tell them you are considering moving to the community and ask if they are interested in selling their home anytime soon.

 

Looking for new Beacon Hill homes for sale? Reach out to trusted Beacon Hill real estate expert Dylan Costello for guidance. An exuberant character motivated by relationships, Dylan has earned a reputation as a creative dealmaker. Contact Dylan and his team today to learn about off-market properties in Boston.