The “Hidden” Market
The Wave of the Future
by Tony Youngs
The Hidden market consist of all those distressed properties you have seen in neighborhoods where there is no pride of ownership. You know, the ones with high grass, peeling paint, overgrown bushes etc. Usually they are in nice neighborhoods. They can be vacant or occupied, but none of them have for sale signs, no ads in the paper, not on the internet or MLS and because of this, nobody knows these homes can be bought. Maybe you pass by them every day and never even give them a second look.
In the year 2015, you may want to change your perception of these hidden gems. You see, as we came out of the great foreclosure crisis, and values started to return, so did the demand. Hedge funds were buying everything they could get. Canadians were coming into the market, and investors were coming out of the woodwork. Suddenly it seemed there was not much inventory. Listed properties were getting multiple offers and there is too much competition at the foreclosure auctions. Great deals are few and far between. There is always somebody that will pay a higher price than you.
The Hidden Market is the answer. There are hundreds of distressed off market properties that you can get at bargain prices because there is hardly any competition. . In the hidden market, you will find properties that are in default, but the foreclosure process has not been started. You will find properties where an owner has died but the hiers don’t have the desire or the funds to fix it up, you will also find distressed free and clear properties, bankruptcy properties and even homes with equity.
You simply must find a way to find properties that not many people know about. There are three options for profit in real estate that anyone can do to be successful;, whether you have money or not.
Option one, if you have no money, no partners, and no proof of funds, this would be for you. You get really good at finding good deals for other investors. There is no risk on your part, but you must be willing to do the legwork. This can be very lucrative as there are many cash investors that would take what you find.
Option two, This is for you if you have money or have access to money. This option is where you are good at finding distressed hidden market properties, but you actually close on them and take title. Then you clean it up, do a few of the repairs but leave plenty of work for the investor you are going to sell to. The reason option two is lucrative, is because you don’t have to do a major rehab job, but you are selling the property to a cash investor instead of a retail buyer who is trying to get a loan.
Option three, This option is where you fix it up all the way and list it on the MLS. It takes more time but you make much more profit if you do it correctly. This also requires you to have money, or have access to money ie., IRA, cash partner, or hard money. Sometimes you can sell it to a cash buyer who wants a long term rental.
I personally do all three options but I recommend you pick one that fits your resources and then focus on it. You will need to get really good at finding good deals and the hidden market is where you will find them. As more and more investors come into the marketplace, you must learn about, the “Hidden Market”.
You need a system and the discipline to follow it. A system of finding unlisted properties when you buy and using the MLS when you sell. That is how you make profit today. Over the last 8 years, I have mastered the hidden market. All you need is desire.
Tony Youngs is the author and creator of the Hidden Market system and a real estate investor for 28 years. He will be the guest speaker at the MnReia meeting .