Bay Area

[cleg]

What's the easiest way to contact the seller of a SF property recently taken off market? I believe they have tenants so just dropping a note won't work.

I suppose I could send a letter to the address with the owner's name, though if there is an easier way I'd love to hear it. Also, can I get listing agents for past listings from the MLS? Is the seller obligated to use a realtor if I contact them directly and am not currently working with one myself?

Thanks!

[Blueberry]

Sending the letter to the address with the owner's name is unlikely to work if tenants do live there. It might work if the owner lived there himself within the past year and still has mail forwarding active from the post office (USPS stops forwarding mail after 1 year). If the owner hasn't lived there himself within the past year, the letter will most likely be returned to you as "Undeliverable".

The county/city records for the house probably show the owner's mailing address (the county/city needs to know where to send the tax bill!), so you might try that. Many areas have those records available online for public access without any required registration or fee.

[norcalnative]

Find the listing agent prior to the property going off market. Contact the agent and tell them your interested in the property.

My brother bought a house doing just this. Seller was asking way too much and gave up took the property off the market just days after my brother walked through it. My brother called the listing agent and said that he would be interested in making an offer that was based on very comparable comps. The seller agreed and the deal was done.