Plenty of owners would rather test the water first. No sign out front, no open homes, no photos of their lounge room on every portal. These are the properties I'm handling that way right now, from Bunbury up to Preston Beach. Address on request.
When an owner says "see if anyone's keen before we list", I go to this list first. The more I know about what you want, the quicker I can match you.
A pre-market launch puts your place in front of my registered buyers and on this page first, quietly, before you spend a dollar on marketing. If the right buyer turns up, great. If not, you go to market knowing exactly what buyers think of it and the price.
The honest bit. Off-market means fewer buyers see it. For some homes that's fine. For others, a full campaign with every buyer competing will get you more, and if I think that's you, I'll tell you straight.