'Not For Sale' Homes May Be If The Price Is Right
MIAMI (CBSMiami) – For anyone who has ever driven past their dream house and wondered if it would ever go on sale, wonder no longer.
It very well could be, if the price is right.
Realtors have knocked on doors and made cold calls to put their customers into houses that weren't even on the market. Believe it or not, some people never had to wait for a "For Sale" sign to go up before they made their dream house purchase come true.
When Jason Abrahamson finally found his dream home, it wasn't for sale but his realtor changed that.
"I was very excited to find out the seller was willing to sell the unit after putting in the offer," said Abrahamson.
A combination of low inventory, high rents and low interest rates, as well as a lack of development in the last four years, have made realtors get creative.
"Door knocking, making cold calls, sending out direct mails and sending personal letters to sellers. You know, 'Are you open to selling if I have the right buyer'," said realtor Joe Grunnet.
While in some cases buyers paid a premium to convince the owner to sell, they didn't end up stuck in a bidding war.
"They can actually get in under the radar of other buyers and scoop up a home without having to go through the competitive bidding process," said real estate expert Brendon Desimone.
Desimone warned those that plan to sell to make sure the realtor being used is legit and has an actual interested buyer.
"Agents are out there, desperate for real estate listings and they will just send out blind letters to a whole bunch of people, trying to get someone who might be interested to actually give them the listing," said Desimone.
Buying off-market may also save on realtor fees if the owner is approached personally.
Those who plan to go that route should be sure to have a real estate attorney draft the necessary documents before they seal the deal.
