How to find off market deals?

[Devyn Grillo]

I've been looking for a duplex/triplex to live in in the Bothell, WA area and rent out the other unit while in college. Only thing is, I've been looking for a few months now on Zillow and Realtor.com, and have had no luck finding a single listing. I can find dozens that have "recently sold" so I know there are multifamily homes in the area. So my real question is, what is a better or more efficient way to find houses that aren't on the MLS yet? Just start calling realtors in the area and asking? Send letters to all the duplex's in the area saying you're looking to buy? I'm new to this, so what are methods you guys use in finding deals before they hit the MLS? Thank you in advance!