Thread: Finding Motivated Sellers: Luck or Hard Work?

You might want to call it "Luck," but I call it Focus. When you really focus on something, it is not how much you do about it, but what you do by concentrating your efforts and attention.

Still, you do need to follow some "inspired" action. We all have different ways of doing things, but once we find what we truly enjoy (and makes us successful) we need to stick with that - again Focus.

And about finding sellers, this is my personal list. Pick and choose the ones that you like (or inspire you .

1. Classified Ads in Newspapers – local paper, Pennysavers and local real estate publications (“For Sale by Owner”.)
2. Classified Ads online – Craigslist and Backpage.
3. Search Classified Ads online and offline – look for houses for sale with “Motivated Seller” or “Must Sell” in their ads.
3. Vacant Homes – drive for dollars. Look for abandoned or vacant homes and locate the owners via Recorder of Deeds office.
4. MLS Search - expired listings, short sales possible, fixer uppers – these are all terms to search for.
5. BirdDog - these are individuals that will look for houses for a flat finder’s fee.
6. For Rent Signs – especially if there are vacancies or are out of town owners, they will be motivated sellers.
7. Wholesalers – partner with them to locate properties and sell them to investors. They know where to look.
8. Preforeclosures – “Notice of Foreclosure” is published on the legal paper.
9. Divorce Filings – look in legal paper for divorce filings.
10. Probate Filings - look in legal paper and probate court.
11. Tax Sales – contact the City and County for tax auction dates.
12. Private Auctions – check online and local auctioneers for listings.
13. Foreclosure Auctions – check City and County for times and dates.
14. REO (Real Estate Owned by banks) – contact banks and MLS for listings.
15. HUD (Government Owned Properties) – check the site HUD.GOV for listings.
16. Networking – network with professionals (CPAs, Attorneys) and rehabbers/landscapers for referrals.
17. Bandit Signs – post bandit signs in strategic locations: intersections, Home Depot, vacant properties.
18. Business Cards, Flyers, Magnetic Car Signs - let everyone know what you are doing and looking for.
19. Website - a website targeting distressed/motivated sellers. Offer a Free Report like on techniques to avoid foreclosure and have the site optimized for your local market.
20. You the Investor – always have a positive and outgoing attitude, ready to meet people and network.

I agree with you 100% Laura

If you are focused it really doesn't matter what you are trying to accomplish.

That's a great list you have, it's all about targeting which leads you want to go after....

Motivated sellers are everywhere these days so if you are just starting out concentrate on just a couple of ways to generate leads, then as you gain experience, apply different methods. Again this depends on which strategy you are trying to implement.

ex. Are you looking for wholesale deals or are you trying to do short sales? Different strategies sometimes require different ways of going about finding deals.

In any case it's all great stuff.

Cheers

JC

To become successful in RE business, investing in marketing strategy is a must. There are plenty of motivated sellers out there but the problem is they can't find you.So, keep your self visible to them. Simple flyers, ads on local papers, of course the internet and get listed in major business directories online will do.