How To Find Off-Market Properties Before Anyone Else

By JP Fluellen

JP became a licensed real estate agent in 2010 after being a real estate investor for 2 years. He’s been a top real estate agent at Coldwell Banker The Property Exchange and has recently started the Titan Real Estate Team at eXp Realty.

If you’ve been searching for investment properties online but keep running into bidding wars or overpriced listings, you’re not imagining things. By the time a property hits the MLS, you’re already competing with multiple buyers. This is why many of the best investors focus on homes that aren’t listed publicly but are still available. Today, I will walk you through the five methods I use to find these off-market properties:

1. Start with direct mail. Direct mail still works if you do it right. Your goal with direct mail is to reach people who are most likely to sell, which means you need to find absentee owners, people who’ve inherited property, and owners of distressed homes. You can find property owner info using tools like PropStream or BatchLeads to get the contact information of distressed homeowners.

The message you send matters, and that is why it should be personalized. Most people will ignore phrases like “We buy houses fast.” because they often receive it. This is why you must avoid sending out generic messages and instead focus on making it more personalized for the person you want to contact.

2. Try driving for dollars. This is one of the easiest ways to find potential deals because all you need to do is drive through neighborhoods and look for signs of neglect—overgrown lawns, boarded windows, and piled-up mail. When you see a property like this that stands out, save the address using an app like DealMachine and follow up with the owner. This is a great method because most investors skip it, which means less competition for you.

3. Leverage local professionals. Some of the best referrals come from people who regularly speak with motivated sellers. This is why it is important to build relationships and expand your network with your local professionals, such as probate attorneys, divorce or bankruptcy lawyers, property managers, and contractors. They often know when someone is ready to sell but hasn’t listed the property yet. While they may not share client details, they can pass along your information if they trust you.

4. Use online ads and social media. Posting in local Facebook groups or Craigslist can help you connect with off-market sellers. You can also run simple ads on Google or Facebook. Avoid generic messaging like “We pay cash.” Try something more relatable, such as: “Is your house becoming too much to manage?” Messaging like this is more likely to get a response.

5. Cold calling and texting still get results. This method isn’t always fun, but it works. Use skip tracing tools like BatchSkipTracing or Lead Sherpa to find owner contact info. Then reach out with a short message like: “Hi, I’m looking to buy in your area. Would you be open to an offer?” Not everyone will say yes. However, with consistent follow-up, some will reply, and those can potentially turn into great deals.

Most off-market opportunities come from following up, not the first contact. If you’re taking the time to build a list or gather leads, make sure you’re also staying organized and reaching out more than once. If you’d like help setting up any of these strategies or just want to talk through how to get started, feel free to call or text me at 307-772-1184 or email me at jp@titanreteam.com. I’d be happy to help you find your next investment property.