It’s happened to most of us: we drive by a house that makes our eyes light up and our breath catch in our chests. A flutter of a heartbeat, a sigh of longing: you’ve encountered your dream house. It looks gorgeous, it’s in the perfect neighborhood or on a street that you’ve always admired from afar. It’s not too big, not too small, and you can totally imagine your family living happily in it for years. There’s just one small problem - the house isn’t on the market.

Can you buy a house that isn’t technically for sale? The answer to that question is a “maybe.” There is nothing stopping anyone, at any time, from approaching the owner(s) of a desirable home and inquiring as to whether they’d be willing to sell, and for what price. Of course, there is a high possibility that the owners are happy where they are - it’s an awesome house, after all - and a.) have no desire to sell, or b.) want a price so high that it is unreasonable for you to buy it.

Let’s say that you are ballsy enough to want to submit an offer on a house that isn’t currently for sale. Maybe it was on the market previously and the owners pulled it from the MLS due to a lack of suitable offers, or maybe it hasn’t even been up for sale. Your first step is to connect with a qualified real estate agent who can do some legwork for you. First of all, you need to ascertain whether the home can even be sold. It could be in a state of foreclosure or awaiting litigation, which would kibosh the probability of a sale right then and there. 

Once you have tracked down the homeowner(s), your real estate agent can approach them with a bonafide offer and a letter explaining why you want to purchase the house. Naturally, you will want to include an appraisal contingency in the offer, since, if you have only gazed at the home from the street, you have no idea whether it contains major issues that would affect your offer or willingness to buy, like a mold problem, a crumbling roof, or other major damage.

Once you have done all that, you should brace yourself for the likelihood of rejection. If someone is comfortable in their house, the possibility of selling and going through the hassle of selling and moving may seem preposterous. It’s definitely a leap of faith type of situation. Also, knowing that you are keen to own something that is not technically for sale, the owner(s) may not be willing to sell unless they can get a ridiculously high price to tempt them to move. There’s a big chance that things will not work out. As is the case with all things in life, however, it doesn’t hurt to try.