Yeah, I know that there are a lot of homes on the market. Guess what? Many of these homes are not the best in class. In some case, these homes can be disadvantaged in some way. You will not know it until you see these houses.

And I know that every prospective buyer who has access to a computer can gain access to home listings. The mistake made by these buyers is twofold:

First, if you are not aligned with an expert realtor whose entire existence is “inside the market”, you will simply have access to information not knowledge. Home listing data on the internet is like drinking out of a fire hose. The quantity is so huge and unfiltered, you cannot handle it. Also, it’s just information. If you do not have expertise, then ally yourself with someone who does. By the way, cruising open houses on Sunday does not qualify as expertise. Remember, you are making the larges financial decision of your life!

Second, the top Realtors in any market have specific knowledge of what is to be coming on market. Who do you think gets first crack at those coveted unlisted properties? It is definitely not the person who “just wants to see homes with the listing agent”. In fact, those are the folks who are guaranteed to have the absolute lowest level of service.

The unlisted homes are reserved for the real estate agent’s best clients. After that, they go to the Realtors in the listing agent’s network. These are agents with whom the realtor has strong working relationship.

This is called the gray market of real estate. if you are looking for a home, you are either in the gray market or your are out of it. Which are you?