“All against the advice of my agent,” Finch said. “I think real estate agents don’t like to get each other in trouble.”

His reward is his dream house, picked up in June for what he feels was better than a fair price.

Like many disenchanted home shoppers, Finch became suspicious when online information on the College Avenue home he wanted showed “contingent” or “pending” almost immediately after it went on the market. The listing agent said an offer already had been accepted, he said.

Five months later, the three-bed, two-bath, 2,448-square-foot home popped up again and Finch immediately submitted his $200,000 offer. The next day, another pending deal showed and Finch got mad because it wasn’t his.

“It became apparent that the listing agent had no intention to sell the house to anyone” except a pre-selected buyer, Finch said.

Reselling later could have “made these guys a bunch of dough,” he figures.

Using public records, Finch determined the company holding the mortgage and sent his offer directly, suspecting that the listing agent had not passed it along. “I told them, ‘I think you’re getting scammed,’ ” he said. “I could tell it piqued their interest.”

The agent suddenly asked him to resubmit his offer and a contract was signed the next day, he said.

Finch shares the story to give others hope, he said. “If you think you’re getting jerked around, you can actually do this. It worked for me. I got the house.”

Bee staff writer Garth Stapley can be reached at gstapley@modbee.com or 578-2390.