Why You Should Ask A Duplex Realtor What’s In Her Pockets

Are you having trouble finding the right duplex?

I’ve got some bad news. It’s about to get worse.

As we officially kick off the spring housing market, more buyers and investors are going to jump into the market. Many will be trying to beat the April 30 tax deadline for the $8000 and $6500 tax credits.

That means you’ll have more competition.

And if you’re working with an agent who don’t specialize in multi family properties, the odds are stacked against you.

The single most important reason to work with a specialist is what we have in our pockets.

I’m not talking about lint, or quarters, but what are called “pocket listings”. What are those? Well, we work with sellers too. At any given moment, we know a number of them who are either in the process of putting their duplex on the market, or who haven’t quite yet decided to sell.

Most are willing to show potential buyers their property; even if they haven’t quite made up their minds.  And when we run into a buyer looking for a duplex that seems to match a non-MLS duplex we’ve seen, we can make showing arrangements.

Don’t forget, however, that when it comes to MLS listings, we also know the inventory.

On average, I show more than 30 duplexes a month. While many of the properties simply are not fits for any of my clients, some are.  (Ironically, they’re frequently the ones with few or no MLS photos.)  When I find them, I call.

Established duplex specialists also offer their buyers the advantage of having seen countless properties the last time they were on the market. We don’t remember the bad ones, but the good ones are clear memories.

A good example of this happened over the weekend.  A property I’d frequently shown as a short sale reappeared on the MLS as a bank owned property.

The pipes were frozen and both boilers blown. Having seen it in the past, however, I knew the rest of the building was in great shape.

My clients footsteps were the first in the snow on the listing’s sidewalk.

If you’re looking, give me a call and ask what’s in my pocket.