Off-market transactions are hardly a new concept. Thomas Foley, Archer co-founder and CEO, tells GlobeSt.com, "Off-market transactions have always been a popular source of deal flow. Many firms talk about off-market deals like some elusive unicorn, but they are quite common." But in recent years, they have soared in popularity. That is because both buyers and sellers are seeing the benefits of these deals, and institutional investors in particular are incorporating off-market deals into their playbook.

"Over the past decade, off-market went from being thought of as deals where smart buyers were taking advantage of uninformed sellers to now being a part of a typical institutional investment playbook with smart money on both sides of the deal.  For buyers, this feels like an advantage where competition is more limited and they are more likely to win deals," Foley says. "For sellers, the certainty associated with a quick process, good price and guaranteed close are quite appealing,"

As a result of new interest in these transactions, off-market deals are starting to become a standard transaction, and many sellers are finding they are capturing no difference in pricing. "This isn't new, but it is accelerating to a scale and velocity we haven't before seen," adds Foley.