All Forum Posts by: Shannon Threlkeld

@Shannon Threlkeld,

Off-market properties are those that have not been listed on the Multiple Listing Service (MLS). You can find them by doing some prospecting. This entails walking a neighborhood to talk to homeowners about selling, calling these homeowners, emailing them, sending letters, etc. You simply want to get them to sell their property before anyone else knows about it. As an agent, you must disclose that you are licensed according to the law. You can find off-market deals by looking through public records for individuals that are delinquent on their taxes, past due on their mortgage, divorced, family deaths, estate sales, etc. The easiest way to find off-market deals is to connect with a wholesaler. They will do all the things listed above to find properties under market value. Only concern is that most wholesalers that I have experience working with lack the knowledge of calculating after repair value (ARV) or rehabilitation. As an agent, you should know how to do ARV. Attend local events and meetups to connect with local professionals that you can learn from.

Hi @Shannon Threlkeld,

Welcome to BiggerPockets! @Chris Tabanico said it perfectly, attending local meetups and events is a great way to network with local professionals. At local events you can exchange contact information to meet one on one with these individuals. As a realtor myself, I work with fix and flip, and buy and hold investors. Most of them want to buy properties under market value so connecting with local wholesalers or professionals that can find you off-market properties is a no-brainer. You can also try finding for sale by owner (FSBO) properties that you can negotiate down the price on behalf of your clients. What you're doing now, writing in the BiggerPockets forums, is a great way to network out as well. Try to know as many people as you can, potential leads will eventually show up on your desk.