🤫 The Market Secret: Most New Listings Are Invisible
If you're an active home buyer in a competitive market, you're likely checking Zillow, Redfin, and other public real estate portals several times a day. You might assume that if a property is for sale, it will appear on these popular sites. Think again. A significant portion of brand-new listings are initially placed into an exclusive status that makes them completely invisible to the public. These are known as "Members Only" or "Agent Exclusive" properties.
❓ What Are "Members Only" Listings?
"Members Only" listings are homes entered into the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) but are deliberately restricted to being viewed only by licensed real estate agents within that MLS network. They are fully available to be shown and sold, but they are not syndicated out to public websites like Zillow and Redfin. The short-term result is that if you rely solely on public portals, you are missing the newest homes to hit the market.
🚫 Why Do Sellers Choose to Hide Their Listing?
This strategy is often used to protect the seller's negotiating position, particularly during slower periods like the holidays. The key factor is the Days on Market (DOM) clock:
- Avoid DOM Accumulation: Sellers are highly motivated to avoid their property "ticking up" a high number of days on the market. Buyers often become suspicious of a home that has been listed for a long time, thinking, "What's wrong with it?"
- Test the Market Privately: By listing exclusively with agents, the seller allows professional realtors to privately showcase the home to their pre-approved clients, essentially testing the market demand without starting the public DOM countdown.
🥇 The Realtor Advantage
This system means that your greatest advantage as a home buyer is your realtor. Only a licensed agent has direct access to the MLS network and the private listings that reside there. If you're not seeing properties that excite you on the public sites, the solution is simple:
➡️ Reach out to your realtor and ask them specifically about private listings or agent exclusives that match your criteria.
By partnering with a local real estate expert, you ensure you have access to the entire inventory of available homes, giving you the best chance to find and secure your dream property, even the ones the public can't see.
Need to access the hidden homes in your local market? Contact Caviness, Straub & Associates today, email us at [email protected] or call us at (650) 288-3230
Watch the full video for more insight into the "Members Only" listings process!
Brett Caviness // DRE01935984
Don Straub // DRE01896844
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