Is it just us or is house buying getting harder as cost-of-living pressures and property prices rise?

And while the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) has paused its cash rate rises for now, the current 4.35% figure is still too high for many homeowners, let alone keen property buyers.

But there's one great opportunity buyers may not have considered - off-market properties.

Off-market vs on-market properties: the basics

It's safe to say Listing Loop is biased when it comes to the off-market property arena.

But here's the basic 411 on off-market versus on-market real estate.

Off-market properties are properties that are for sale but aren't publicly advertised as such.

Hence, these properties are sometimes referred to as silent or secret listings.

On-market properties are also for sale and will be advertised as such via traditional "For Sale" signs, billboards, online marketing, brochures and similar.

As you would expect, there are buyer and seller pros and cons to both groups of properties and industry commentator thoughts about the two groups also differ. 

Off-market properties: pros and cons

The biggest benefit for off-market buyers is less competition from other eager purchasers - along with far more property possibilities available.

As Listing Loop has discussed in the past, there's no CoreLogic or similar official data on off-market sales; however, through internal and market research, we have identified that off-market transactions make up around 20% of the total property market.

Or, in other words, 20% of property sales in Australia are sold off-market - and in some years, this figure can rise to around 40%.

Less competition can also equal bargain prices with strings of ambitious price offers taken out of the picture.

In turn, off-market buyers endure less anxiety and stress, and enjoy more time.

However, off-market buyers still need to find as perfect a home as possible and with less advertising and information available on these properties, this can be difficult to obtain.

Plus, the time such buyers gain by not waiting in open home queues may be lost while searching, and waiting, for lesser-known off-market properties.

Off-market properties: where are they?

This brings us to off-market buyers' most popular question: "Where do I find such properties if they're not advertised?"

The traditional way to find off-market properties is to contact sales agents in your preferred buyer area and ask to be put on their off-market property database.

Yet with an average of around 170 agents in some areas, such calls can take up a lot of time.

Luckily for keen off-market buyers, online opportunities for "advertising" such properties are becoming increasingly popular.

Enter, Listing Loop: your one-stop shop for all things off-market, and this includes help and advice for off-market vendors.

More off-market opportunities

But wait, there's more!

If you're inspired by off-market property purchases, you'll be even more encouraged by Listing Loop's new Buyer's Assist service.

Buyer's Assist can hand buyers their Great Aussie Dream faster, and at a much cheaper price, than expected.

Our savvy team of buyer coaches, property analysts and expert negotiators can save the typical eager buyer around $41,000 on average and sort through transactions in 28 days - as compared to the average seven months it takes for buyers to go it alone.

We're here to help

So, whatever your property plans are, rest assured Listing Loop can help you!

As Australia's leading marketplace for off-market, pre-market listings and more, you'll be ahead of the buyer competition before you even start the purchasing process.

So, what are you waiting for?

Get in the loop!