Are you fed up with the traditional forms of house hunting?

Are you sick of constantly browsing through real estate websites and visiting Open Homes, only to miss out on places time and time again? Or perhaps you still haven’t found your dream home?

If you answered ‘yes’, you may have started looking into the idea of off-market properties. But finding houses that aren’t readily available to view online or in the local newspaper can make things a bit difficult.

How do I find houses that aren’t publicly listed and advertised?

Here are 5 ways you can find out about properties that aren’t listed on the books.

1. Direct mail

One of the most popular ways to find off-market properties is to conduct a direct mail campaign.

This process involves distributing bulk letters or postcards to your desired neighbourhood, indicating you’re interested in buying houses in the area. Your contact details should be added at the bottom and you can include your offer price range if you wish.

2. Knock on doors

If you’ve decided upon the neighbourhood you’d like to live in, don’t be afraid to start door knocking.

• • • Vacant houses - If you come across a vacant house, ask the neighbour if they know who the owner is. If no one is living there, there’s a high chance the owner wants to sell it. They might be an investor or the offspring to an elderly parent who has moved into a nursing home or passed away. You never know the situation, so there’s no harm in asking!
  • • Impending foreclosure - If you see a sign about an impending foreclosure, you could actually save the struggling owner further stress by making an offer.
  • The perfect home - You might come across a property that is exactly what you’re after - but it’s currently occupied. If you’re willing to put a good offer on the table, why not knock and ask if the owner is interested in selling?

  3. Find or organise a Meet Up

  Free local meet-ups are a great way to find investors or real estate agents who know inside details about off-market deals. You can find or organise a meet-up in your area through the website meetup.com. You can also ask friends via social media or parents at your local school if they’re aware of any possible houses available.

  4. Connect with Real Estate Agents

  Being registered and building relationships with multiple real estate agencies is a key way of discovering off-market properties. You can check property websites and visit the ‘coming soon’ sections to find out about houses not on the market yet. Then touch base with the real estate contact. Alternatively, you can reach out to agents who you’ve met at Open Homes or simply pop into the real estate agency offices in your local area.

  5. Sign up to an Off-Market Database

  If the first four steps feel like too much effort, we have a much easier way! At Listing Loop, we provide a database of off-market properties that provides buyers a lot more control and allows you to be “the first to know” about available houses. Your dream home could be for sale off-market and you don’t even know about it. Simply sign up to Listing Loop. In the sign-up process, you can indicate the criteria of your desired property, such as a two bedroom, two bathroom house in Flinders, and you’ll be notified via SMS or email as soon as a relevant property is listed.

We're here to help

We're always happy to help with all the dramas and stressors of house buying and selling.

And if you're particularly tired of house-hunting, we've even partnered with buyer advocates who can check out homes for you and organise sales assessments and negotiations.

Our off-market and pre-market marketplace gives you VIP access to properties so you can get in first.

Just sign up at Listing Loop or download our app.