Transcript
Let's talk about off-market, because every first-home buyer asks about it.
The dream is obvious. A secret property, perfect for you, at a great price, with a motivated seller who just wants it done quietly. No auction, no competition, no bidding war. Sounds incredible.
The reality in Australia - especially under five million - is that true off-market barely exist. And when you think about it, it makes sense. If you were selling your home, would you want one buyer making you one offer?Or would you want it in front of as many people as possible, competing to pay you the most? In a hot market - which is what we're in - sellers have no reason to hide their property. They want the crowd.
What most people call "off-market" is actually pre-market. The seller has already signed up with an agent, and that agent is shopping it around to their network for a week or two before it hits Domain or REA. It's coming online - it just hasn't yet.
We get sent dozens of these pre-market properties every week. And that is genuinely useful - it means our clients see properties before the general public does, which gives us more time to assess, more time to prepare, and sometimes a chance to move before the competition even knows it exists.
But if you're sitting there worried that you're missing out on some secret supply of hidden homes - you're not. The vast majority of good property sells through a normal, public process. Focus your energy there.
Key takeaways
- True off-market properties barely exist under $5 million in Australia — sellers want competition, not one quiet offer
- What's called "off-market" is usually pre-market — it's coming online, the agent is just shopping it to their network first
- Focus your energy on the normal public process — that's where the vast majority of good property sells
