The United States has a severe housing shortage that, for now, shows no end in sight, creating intense competition among buyers looking for the perfect property. For some buyers, the only real shot at finding a home to purchase means striking before it hits the market.
Experienced real estate agents are trained to find homes that will be listed soon. But for the layperson, here are some ways to find a home for sale before anyone else does, according to real estate professionals:
Become a regular at estate and yard sales
Sellers typically follow the same steps just before placing their home on the market, one real estate agent said. The first step is usually cleaning the house, which often involves getting rid of unwanted junk.
Some homeowners will throw unwanted belongings in the trash, and others will try to sell them at an estate or yard sale. A savvy homebuyer should view a yard sale as an early detection, said Tezeta Roro, a New Jersey-based real estate agent at Keller Williams.
"Homeowners usually hold sales when they are thinking about minimizing and looking to move," Roro said. "Hit up a few."
Take a drive through the neighborhood
Clever house hunters should drive around the neighborhood they're looking to buy in and see whether any home has a dumpster or storage pods in front of it, said Tristain O'Donnell, an Atlanta-based real estate agent for Engel & Völkers.
O'Donnell said cruising neighborhoods is her "go-to technique when trying to uncover hidden inventory."
"These visual cues often signal that a homeowner is preparing their home for sale — whether it's a light refresh or a full renovation," she said. "In many cases, it could also indicate an investor flipping a property with plans to list it soon."
Monitor homes that are in pre-foreclosure
A foreclosed home is a property where the current owner could not keep up with the mortgage payments, the home loan went into default, and the lender repossessed the property. A pre-foreclosure is the period when the lender goes through official court proceedings to repossess a home.
"Since foreclosures have to be disclosed in public records, you can often look for and discover homes that are in pre-foreclosure," said Adam Hamilton, co-founder of rental property software company REI Hub. "That ultimately can give you the jump on being aware of the property before the general public."
Anyone can search for a list of pre-foreclosed homes at the county recorder's office, sometimes called the "clerk's office" or "register of deeds." The Multiple Listing Service, known as MLS, also keeps a pre-foreclosure tally, but the company charges an extra fee to access specific properties.
"The best real estate deals rarely start on the MLS," said Elena Novak, lead real estate researcher at PropertyChecker.com. "They begin where few buyers are looking. When a property appears neglected and the owner hasn’t lived there in years, that’s not a red flag; it’s often a strong lead."
Build a relationship with an agent
Agents who sell homes in the neighborhood you want to move to should have your contact information, experts say. Building a relationship with an agent beforehand can pay off once that person catches wind of a potential listing.
"They will likely know of folks looking to move or want an off-market, quiet sale," Roro said. "I have scored homes for my buyers during the height of COVID competition this way."
One sure-fire way to connect with agents is attending a real estate investment club meeting, said Ryan David, a real estate investor in eastern Pennsylvania.
"At these types of meetings, typically there will be agents focused on off-market sales opportunities, along with real estate wholesalers and real estate investors that frequently buy and sell properties," David said. "The goal of these local groups is to network and to pass along deals that the average person doesn't know about."
Use good old-fashioned networking
Real estate agents aren't the only professionals who will know when a house is coming up for sale soon.
"There are some house construction companies online that talk about their future builds for houses and neighborhoods," said Dylan Calvo, a Tennessee-based agent at the Realty Association. "Follow them, look at their websites, and become friends with them. Be the first to know about it."
But the list of professionals doesn't stop there, Roro said.
"Don't underestimate the folks you interact with regularly, such as your cleaner, landscaper, mailman, hairstylist, barber or dentist," she said. "Mention what you are looking for. They may know someone looking to make a move."
Scour social media and online neighborhood groups
Some of the world's most popular social media applications have pages dedicated to specific neighborhoods. Users post things for sale and local happenings, including if someone plans to move. Reading posts on those pages might give a crafty buyer an early clue as to who will be selling their home soon, the experts said.
"Home buyers can also post in these groups with their ideal home and budget," Roro said.