With approximately 160 million properties in the United States and only a tiny fraction currently listed, nearly every property is technically off-market. That staggering figure, cited by DealGround co-founder and CEO Dan Mosher, underscores a fundamental flaw in the traditional broker playbook: the idea that sourcing off-market deals requires calling every owner in a zip code. According to Mosher, that approach is not only inefficient but counterproductive. “We think that carpet bombing approach is not the right approach,” Mosher said. “I think that’s the biggest mistake, you go too broad and too generic, and that becomes off-putting to an owner, that it creates a low probability of success.”
The implications for commercial real estate brokers are significant. For decades, prospecting has often been measured by call volume, but Mosher contends that volume without precision erodes trust and wastes time. Instead, he advocates for what he calls a “sniper-like approach,” where brokers target a specific set of properties based on a buyer’s actual criteria and situational needs. “You’re targeting a specific set of properties because you have a buyer, you have a situation that you can help, and you are targeting owners with great information you have about them,” Mosher said. “That’s a much better approach that yields better outcomes.”
This shift is not merely about tactics; it represents a philosophical change in how brokers generate leads. Off-market sourcing, in Mosher’s view, begins with creating a set of filters and search parameters that match a principal’s or buyer’s needs. Once that filtered list exists, the conversation with an owner transforms. “When you reach out to that owner, you have a story that is compelling. You know the details about the owner’s property. You have a buyer, or you are a buyer, that’s got a certain philosophy and a buy box, and that property fits within that philosophy. That is not cold outreach. That’s more of a warm lead,” Mosher said.
DealGround, an AI-powered commercial real estate intelligence platform, is positioning itself at the center of this transition. The company works with brokers who have replaced dial-for-dollars prospecting with data-driven targeting. By transforming fragmented property, tenant, ownership, and market data into structured, actionable intelligence, DealGround aims to help brokers convert insights into opportunities. The platform serves the top 15 CRE brokerage firms nationwide and offers a how it works page for brokers interested in the process.
The broader implication is that more calls do not necessarily mean more deals. A smaller, better-informed list usually beats a longer, generic one. As Mosher points out, the math on off-market inventory alone should change how brokers think about prospecting. With 160 million properties and only a sliver listed, the challenge is not finding owners but finding the right ones with the right message. That reality is pushing the industry away from brute-force outreach and toward intelligent, targeted engagement, a shift that could separate top performers from the rest.
