Off market selling can be an effective strategy for certain properties and sellers, particularly when the market is flat or falling and an agent has a strong database of active buyers. By avoiding a traditional public marketing campaign, vendors may reduce costs, shorten the selling timeline, maintain privacy, and still achieve an excellent result. However, this approach is not suitable for every property, as it can limit buyer competition and market exposure. Here’s when off market selling works best, along with a real-life Melbourne success story.

Selling a property can be expensive. Beyond the real estate agent’s commission, vendors often face significant additional costs including marketing, cleaning, gardening, repairs, painting, styling, conveyancing, and general presentation work.

For many homeowners, these expenses can easily exceed $30,000 before the property even reaches the market.

Traditionally, skipping these steps is considered risky. A poorly presented property may struggle to attract buyers, while limited marketing exposure can reduce competition and ultimately impact the sale price.

However, there are situations where a property can be successfully sold without a full public campaign. This strategy is known as off market selling.

What is Off Market Selling?

Off market selling refers to selling a property without publicly advertising it on major real estate portals or through a large-scale marketing campaign.

Instead, the property is promoted privately to a targeted group of qualified buyers, sourced from a real estate agent’s existing buyer database.

This strategy works particularly well when:

• The agent has recently sold a similar property
• There are active underbidders still looking to buy
• The property appeals to a clearly identifiable buyer group
• The seller wants a quicker or more discreet sale process
• The market is flat or falling, as is the case now.

The quality of the agent’s buyer database is critical. Often, the strongest buyer pools come from recent campaigns involving comparable homes.

A Real-Life Success Story

We recently assisted a client with the sale of her aunt’s inner-suburban Melbourne property after the aunt moved into aged care.

The property was a classic Victorian terrace. Although full of character, the home was largely in original and poor condition.

Our initial assessment was that before the property was offered for sale, the following work was needed:

• Clearing and cleaning
• Repainting
• New carpet
• Professional styling
• General cosmetic improvements.

This would cost in the vicinity of $35,000.

We invited two highly regarded local agents to submit proposals for the sale. Importantly, both agents had recently sold nearby properties — including one just a few doors away that was similar in style and condition.

One agent advised that their recent campaign had attracted 118 buyer groups and sold at auction only a week earlier after competition between four bidders.

Recognising the opportunity to save expenses, we recommended an off market selling strategy focused on:

• Underbidders from the recent sale
• Buyers who had missed out nearby
• Active purchasers already searching for similar homes.

Rather than immediately spend tens of thousands of dollars on presentation upgrades and advertising, the plan was to:

• Clear remaining contents
• Undertake cleaning and gardening only
• Test the market privately first.

The results exceeded expectations.

The agent quickly secured interest from multiple qualified buyers sourced directly from the earlier sales campaign. Three serious buyers emerged, all comfortable purchasing the property in its existing condition.

After competitive negotiations, the property sold for 14% above the vendor’s reserve price.

Importantly, because the property sold off market, the vendor also avoided approximately $34,000 in costs associated with:

• Marketing
• Repainting
• Recarpeting
• Professional styling.

We also negotiated the agents commission down as the full marketing campaign wasn’t required.When factoring in these savings, the overall financial outcome was effectively 16.5% above reserve.

The shorter timeframe also created an important financial benefit. A negotiated 30-day settlement allowed the family to access funds sooner to help pay the aged care fees.

Overall, it was a carefully considered and highly successful off market selling strategy.

The key is understanding which strategy best suits the property, the local market, and the seller’s personal circumstances.

Considering Off Market Selling?

If you are thinking about selling and wondering whether an off market campaign could work for your property, professional advice can make all the difference.

As vendor advocate with over 25 years experienced, we can help assess:

• Whether off market selling is appropriate
• Which agents have the strongest buyer databases
• The likely level of buyer demand
• Whether presentation costs are justified
• The best strategy to maximise your overall financial outcome.

Every property and situation is different — and the right selling strategy can potentially save both time and money. 

Thinking about selling your property? Book your free consultation today or call 0402 890 830 to speak with me, Phil Hoopmann, Senior Property Manager or Robert Allanadale, Director, on 0418517643.