Contacting an owner outside the real-estate agent

[Marty Summers]

Hey Community,

Is it ok for me to contact the seller directly outside of talking to the listing agent of a multi-family or single family investment opportunity?

I recently went to the assessors website, found the owners company name and did some research on the company to find the owners name then found them on Linked in and Facebook.  Contacted the seller/owner and we talked over the phone.

I wonder if that is legal too....why not?

Thanks,

Marty

[Charlie MacPherson]

@Robert Hudson The short answer is that the seller (presumably) signed a contract.

The long answer is that even the ability to put the sign in the yard requires licensing, insurance, overhead, marketing expenses, etc.

On top of putting up a sign, you'll most likely find that the seller's agent has spent significant time, expertise, effort and money on marketing to find that buyer.

Further, the seller's agent will be involved long after the buyer is found. We negotiate pricing, push for terms favorable to our seller, co-ordinate the signing of documents, manage various deadlines (P&S, extensions, inspections, mortgage commitment, closing, vet the financing before accepting an offer (yes, there are still garbage pre-approvals out there), co-ordinate inspections and appraisals - including well water and septic system tests, negotiate pricing adjustments following home inspection, support the sales price with comps for the appraiser, stomp out the various fires that pop up along the way, wrangle the occasional obnoxious or overly anxious seller, make sure that the attorneys are on track with disclosures like lead paint, asbestos, mold and septic, get the seller organized with final utility readings and transferring them to the buyer at the right time and managing the final walk-through the day of closing and getting to the closing table.

Other than that, we don't lift a finger.