Do I HAVE to go through Hubzu if I want a property?

Question

Sorry for my ignorance, but I have never heard of Hubzu until now. I am interested in a REO property I found on Zillow, it says its for Sale and the listing was "brought to you by Hubzu", listing provided by So-in-So (name omitted) Realty.  Now, when I go to the property's listing page on Hubzu, it says "Highest and Best Period Ended, you can still watch this property". Does this mean I cannot submit an offer for this listing? Or can I still call up the listing agent and submit an offer the traditional way? Common sense would tell me Hubzu is just a modern tool to submit an offer, and that I can still submit an offer the traditional way through the listing agent. However, the way some people talk about Hubzu listings makes me assume you HAVE to go through Hubzu if you want the property. Can someone clarify? Thanks.

Kevin Siedlecki · Answer

@Brandy Vee - I ran into this issue this winter, too. I didn't even know it was a Hubzu property until I made an offer. They actually added a "technology fee" to my offer when they accepted it, even though I offered traditionally, realtor to realtor. In the end, I chose not to get the house. They were incredibly slow the whole way, because neither realtor had anything to do with it. The deal went through Hubzu and their brainless paper-pushers.

If highest and best period ended, whether on Hubzu or any listing, that means they had multiple offers and accepted one, so they will not accept an offer now. That said, you might put it in, so that they know if the deal they accepted falls through, you are interested.