When we went out on family walks, I would talk to people, says Dave DeYoung. I d say, Do you know anyone who s looking to sell? We were just out getting to know the neighborhood, but basically, I was prospecting.
It worked. Earlier this year, the DeYoungs bought a five-bedroom Prairie Style house on Damen Avenue for $490,000. The sellers, who declined to comment for this story, didn t have to do any premarket painting, install air conditioning or pay agents commissions. The DeYoungs got a pre-pandemic price, Dave says, and sidestepped the hassle of bidding wars.
In a real estate market filled with frustrations lost bidding wars, sharply rising prices and a dearth of inventory among them buyers like the DeYoungs are trying to jump the line. If they re not moseying up to strangers, they re asking real estate agents to massage their personal networks in search of a house that isn t on the market or even texting homeowners to ask if they d consider selling.
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