Contact seller directly, or go through agent?

[Alecia Loveless]

I’m in the middle of buying a gorgeous 4-plex. My agent indicated to me that he believes the Seller wants to sell other properties from his portfolio in the near future.

The building I am buying is the nicest investment property I’ve seen in the 20 or so years I’ve been involved in real estate. I would be very interested in buying more of this Seller’s property if the numbers work and they are in good shape like the current one is.

The Seller’s agent is from 45 minutes south of the property and isn’t a big time realtor so I’m guessing either the seller bought something from this agent or knows him personally. There would be no other real reason for him to use this brokerage to sell his property otherwise.

Do I have an ethical reason to go through my agent to let his agent know I am interested in future purchases to try to buy before the property hits the market, or can I send a letter to my seller letting him know I’m interested now before my sale goes through or directly after bypassing the realtors since all of this is just hearsay at the moment?

Thanks!

Alecia