Why are some homes already sold before you can even call the agent?

There are three reasons a home may be sold before you can act. First, some (few, but some) are actually sold before they hit the Internet. Posting the listing is really only a formality. The second reason is that when we real estate agents load our listings onto the private MLS, which funnels listings to the public MLS, there can be a 48 hour lag time before the listing can be uploaded from one system to the other. In that time selling may already have occurred because as a real estate agent there are things we do to sell homes above and beyond just listing them on MLS (at least if the agent is a good one). Sales often come through these other efforts.

For example, when I load a listing, I likely will immediately deliver "just listed" cards in the home's neighbourhood. At the same time I will list the home with Point2Point who will then distribute that listing to hundreds of real estate sights all over the world. As well, I post the home on Craig's list, Kijjii, my website. I send the listing out to anyone I have waiting for a home and whose criteria match my listing. In other words, before you even have a chance to find the listing on the MLS, I've already started to sell the home. After all, that's part of my job - to sell a home for the most money in the least amount of time.

The last reason is very much related to the second reason. You probably don't have a real estate agent. You see, if you have an agent, you're going to receive the listing as soon as it is first entered into the system: not 48 hours later. I don't think people realize what a disadvantage trying to find a home without an agent is. After all, we are trained to buy homes, to see problems with homes buried beneath the pretty surfaces, to monitor sales and know what neighbourhoods are likely to do well. We know what areas are safe, where the best schools are and where the deals are. I think alot of people think they will get a better deal by just approaching the selling agent of a house but this isn't true. The selling agent works for the seller not for the buyer. Why not use a buyer agent (who you are likely not going to pay for anyway) who represents you and will negotiate a better price on your behalf.

Why me: I'm experienced, I care about where you live and I pay your legal fees for the buying of your house putting more cash in your pocket for your new home.