Realtor Greg Burns was waiting in front of a home mustering up the courage to get out and walk onto someone’s property to ask if they would be interested in selling their home.
As flashes of the front doors slamming in his face and people running after him with a bat were crossing his mind, he knew he had to saddle up and try to introduce himself to see if these homeowners would consider selling. His clients loved this neighborhood and this home. As he got out of his car he had two things going for him: he had gone to county tax records and found out the first name of the homeowner, and he had a REAL buyer. So with that, he knocked on the door and hoped for a positive outcome.
Moments later the door opened and a man appeared, looking a bit bewildered by the sight of a stranger at his door. At this moment Greg focused on breaking the ice and immediately introduced himself as a Realtor representing a real buyer who loves his home and asked him if he would consider selling it. The owner showed an initial shock but interestingly enough it turns to a half-smile as he states that’s how he bought his first house nearly 50 years before.
After some more small talk — and once Greg knew that the bat wasn’t coming out — the conversation quickly jumped to the most obvious one: price. Greg’s clients really wanted this home and had the means to get what they really wanted. Greg was able to offer a price that was very compelling. With a strong offer, the seller ultimately decided that the timing was right, the price was right, and he was able to sell privately without ever having a “For Sale” sign in front of the house. It was a win, win, win. Greg’s buyer got the home they really wanted, the seller got a great price, and Greg got a great commission.
While this all worked for Greg; the steps needed, from contacting these homeowners cold, to trying to get his foot in the door (literally) to see if the homeowner would sell, was an arduous process. Don’t worry, it doesn’t have to be that way.
How you can turn the Off-Market ON for yourself
- The answer is always no unless you ask. Being an off-market pro means you don’t wait around for that perfect home to come on the market. Instead, you know that the answer is always no unless you ask. Don’t be afraid to reach out to homeowners that aren’t currently selling.
- Price talks. When you’re going after an off-market listing, pricing is key. This isn’t the time to try and get a deal. It’s a time to want to do things privately, quickly, and without the headaches of bidding wars. Be sure that your clients understand that to get what they want, they will more than likely have to offer a price that’s at the higher end of the market.
- Make it easy. Utilize technology like the DropOffer App to seamlessly find off-market properties and create outreach via postcards, emails, and online advertising to properties your clients love. With DropOffer, you can communicate with your clients easily and quickly through the app. Once they’ve found the perfect home, they can drop an offer with a push of a button.
DropOffer is the nation’s first automated “off-market” real estate-focused app expanding consumer home search options by turning the Off-Market, on. The DropOffer app empowers top-performing agents and their clients to submit offers automatically to off-market homeowners using real-time data.
Join their launch list to be notified when they go live in your area.