This first-person account comes from a discussion with Ben Mutz, age 39, a former Air Force officer who purchased a residence not initially offered for sale in Oakwood, Ohio. Mutz relied on Unlisted, an application that lets interested buyers place themselves on lists for properties not currently available. The narrative has been adjusted for brevity and flow.

With my recent engagement and plans to merge households, I am shifting from a three-bedroom place to one with six bedrooms. Our neighborhood remains compact, containing roughly 1,200 residences.

Few six-bedroom options exist locally, and with five children between my fiancee and me, our choices stayed narrow from the start.

I have relocated often, marking this as my seventh assignment and resulting in about 15 homes across those moves. This experience has made me comfortable with both renting and owning transitions.

After renting for two years, I chose to buy that property without using an agent. The process revealed alternative methods beyond standard practices and highlighted available tools that simplify direct transactions.

Unlisted caught my attention early in its launch. The idea seemed strong, and I used it to identify six-bedroom homes that might suit our needs.

Months later, I spotted our ideal match based on size, layout, and bedroom count. The entry included several images along with background details on the property and its past. I marked it as a favorite and joined the waitlist.

Thanks to timing and a helpful tip, someone noted that a neighbor planned to relocate. After learning the address, I checked it against my Unlisted list and confirmed the match.

Contact began last autumn via the app. Over several months of exchanges, we completed the purchase and closed in July 2026.

I Formed a Bond With the Owners Ahead of Their Decision to Sell

Owners can register their homes on Unlisted, upload images, and share personal assessments. Their notes indicated openness to offers, which encouraged my outreach.

A strong friendship developed through roughly six months of messages covering sports, daily life, and photos of children and pets. This created a personal tie uncommon in typical real estate deals.

The timeline extended partly because the owners delayed retirement until June. We settled on a price in November, and by March I suggested formalizing an agreement as their plans solidified.

My father expressed doubt, warning that without a contract the sellers might seek higher offers elsewhere. When I raised this, they replied that they viewed me as family and the arrangement stood firm, easing my concerns.

Our growing rapport allowed flexibility around their retirement date for closing, suiting both sides well.

In our busy local market, desirable homes often sell within days of listing. I paid 800,000 dollars for the house, which later appraised at 960,000 dollars, representing strong value.

Had it reached the open market, it likely would have sold fast and at a higher price.

The Unlisted Approach Stood Apart From Standard Transactions

Other platforms restrict searches to active listings. While sites like Zillow show details, they rarely reveal how long owners have lived there or their moving intentions.

This was not the only property I explored on Unlisted. I contacted several owners, received additional photos, and ruled out some due to price or floor plan issues.

In past agent-assisted purchases, we sometimes added personal notes to stand out as future caretakers of the home. Direct contact through Unlisted removed intermediaries and sped up genuine connections.

The owners intended to retire and relocate anyway, yet our shared story of combining families and the home's century-old history made them eager for us to continue its legacy.