Am I missing something?

Okay, last night we found two new properties listed on the internet. We've been intensively monitoring the papers and the websites, plus have registered what we're after with numerous agents.

This morning I ring the two agents who are selling the listed properties.

Each one tells me that their property is Under Offer (which is the equivalent of Sold Subject to Contract in the UK, and which here means that you can't view the property or submit another offer).

How come places are being snapped up so quickly? Do you have to bribe the agents in advance even to find out what's about to come onto the market? And why are people happy to accept an offer even before they have held a home-open? The only reason I can think of is that people are receiving offers which are so surprisingly good from their point of view that they snap them up straight away thinking that they've struck lucky. And as most of the agents are bone idle anyway, they are probably being encouraged to do so.

2 more properties to view before Saturday, that is, if someone doesn't snap them up before we get to see them.