Let's take the situation where you are looking at a REO for which they want 25k and they have just come down from 29k. Apparently, the bank did not really look at it because it isn't worth that. To rehab it the house would have to be gutted; the only good part of the house is the structure. You don't want to rehab it yourself but you would like to flip it if you could get it for a really low price.

You would not be interested otherwise, but you don't want to let this property go just yet. The interesting part is a realtor who listed it didn't put a sign in the yard. No one knows the house is even available. Besides, sales comparables are 45-106k after rehab.

Why there is no sign in the yard on the REO listed for sale? For one of two reasons. First, the realtor could be just lazy.

Second reason is if a realtor knows what he is doing, it means he has investors or friends he is holding the house for. They may hope no one notices the property and they will get a sure deal selling it to somebody who buys from them all the time and closes all the time. Sometimes they need it to get to a certain price range in order for their buyer to pick it up.

Well, it happens all the time, and quite frankly that is just business and building relationships. You eventually want to be that person. This kind of relationships is the reason one has a success in real estate business. They are not hard to build but they do take a little skill.