I’ve noticed something over the past few years that honestly surprises me.
Most home buyers today think the way to buy a house is to sit back, scroll the MLS, and wait for the “right one” to pop up. Then, when it does, they rush in with an offer — along with five other buyers who were sitting there doing the same thing.
And somehow… this feels ok.
Maybe it’s the internet. Everything is online. It feels like if it’s not on MLS, it must not exist. But in a lower-inventory market like Red Deer has been experiencing, waiting isn’t smart. It costs you.
Waiting Feels Safe — But It Isn’t
When listings are limited and prices are gradually nudging upward, every new property that hits the market becomes an event. Buyers pile in. Offers compete. Prices stretch. And if you don’t get it? You wait for the next one, which might cost a little more.
Buyers sit and wait because they don’t know better.
If prices trend up even modestly over time, the house you could have bought last quarter will generally be more expensive now.
When “Just Watching MLS” Isn’t Enough
What surprises me most is the reaction I sometimes get when I explain there’s an additional way to find the right home to buy.
In addition to watching MLS daily (which, of course, we do), we can actually go into the exact neighbourhood you want and look for your house. Reach out to homeowners. See who might be thinking about selling but hasn’t listed yet.
“You’d think I was telling them Elvis was my brother”
But twenty-five years ago, this wasn’t unusual. It was just called being a Realtor. You didn’t wait for opportunity — you created it.
A Real Example
Not long ago, I spoke with a buyer who assumed waiting for MLS was how it’s done. She was working with another Realtor who was forwarding listings — many of which she saw online before they were emailed to her.
A month later, she called back.
Nothing had changed. They were still waiting. The part her Realtor was handling was something she could mostly do herself. What wasn’t happening was proactive searching.
That’s when she decided to target the exact subdivision she wanted instead of hoping something would appear.
Exhaust Every Effort — Or Settle
Buying a home is one of the largest financial decisions most people will ever make. So why rely on timing and luck alone?
Monitoring MLS is essential. But if that’s the only strategy, you’re competing with everyone else who believes that’s the only strategy.
In a tight market, exhausting every reasonable effort can mean the difference between finding the right home and eventually convincing yourself that an alright one will do.
There are still more ways to find a home in Red Deer.
It just takes someone willing to actually go look for it.
We Actually Do This for Our Buyers
This isn’t just theory.
At Big Earth Realty, we don’t just wait for MLS listings and hope the right home appears. Of course, we monitor the market daily — but we also go further. When a buyer knows the neighbourhood they want, we proactively target that area. We reach out. We look for homeowners who may be considering selling but haven’t listed yet.
That approach creates more opportunity and often less competition.
If you’re serious about finding the right home in Red Deer — not just the next one that pops up online — there is a more strategic way to search.
Blake King and Big Earth Realty actively help buyers move beyond waiting and into actually finding. If you’d like more info, enter your contact info below and ‘submit.’
Don’t limit your search to only MLS listings – call me today at (403) 350-7672, and I’ll explain how we find pre-market and unlisted homes so you can see them before other buyers do!