How To Find Off-Market Homes Before They Hit Zillow

By Steve Zajdzinski

With over 24 years in Real Estate and experience as a former Director of Sales for the largest private homebuilder in Northern Arizona, Steve has over 2 decades of real estate experience including 15 years in the new home industry.

If you’re house hunting but rising rates are squeezing your budget, homes with assumable mortgages might be the solution. But here’s the catch: They’re often sold out before they even make it to Zillow.

If you’re like most buyers, you spend hours scrolling through Zillow or Realtor.com, only to feel like you’re always a step behind. But what if there was a smarter, easier way to find your perfect home, without competition and bidding wars, and could even save you thousands on your mortgage?

Sites like Zillow are great for getting a general idea, but they have a major flaw: they don’t show everything. The most desirable properties often have “coming soon” status or are offered off-market, meaning they are never listed on public sites. By the time a home appears on Zillow, it might already have offers.

Here’s how you can get exclusive early access to the best home deals before other buyers find them:

Your personalized home search advantage. The solution is a customized home search set up by a local expert. After a brief consultation to understand your specific needs, such as a larger yard, a preferred location, or a budget, I create a customized search that scans the full MLS and other relevant sources. You’ll get alerts for new listings, including those not yet public, delivered directly to your inbox. It saves time and ensures you see opportunities first.

The game-changer: Assumable Mortgages. In a market with high interest rates, affordability is a major challenge. But there’s a secret weapon: assumable mortgages. Many existing homes have FHA or VA loans with interest rates below 3% or 4%. As a qualified buyer, you can potentially “assume” this existing low-rate loan, dramatically lowering your monthly payment compared to a new loan at today’s rates.

How to find these hidden gems. Finding these assumable mortgages on your own is nearly impossible. That’s why I’ve created an exclusive tool, SearchAssumable.com. This website is specifically designed to filter for homes with assumable loans. You can search by loan type (VA, FHA), target an interest rate of 4% or less, or even filter by your desired monthly payment.

The best strategies require expert guidance. Whether you want to set up a personalized home search or explore the power of assumable mortgages, the first step is a conversation. Visit SearchAssumable.com or call me now at 480-725-4555. You can also send an email to steve@soldbystevez.com. Don’t just dream about your dream home—let’s make it a reality.