30 Ways Find Good Real Estate Deals In 2024

In This Article

Wondering how to find good real estate deals? Let us count the ways!

We’ve come up with 30 different methods to find real estate deals in today’s competitive real estate market. As a real estate investor, you’re probably familiar with some of these tips, but we promise many are new on your radar! Those great real estate deals are out there, and finding them will really help relish in all of the benefits of investing in real estate!

1. Look for deals on the Multiple Listing Service (with the help of a real estate agent)

The MLS is the box that all real estate agents put their deals into. Yeah, it’s competitive right now, but if you set it up correctly, you can still find good deals on the MLS.

For example, set up automatic email alerts with your real estate agent that fit your criteria. That way, you’ll be the first to know about those good deals and potential leads.

2. Drive for dollars

Here’s another way of finding investment properties. Just get in your car, drive around, and look for vacant properties. When you find something, write down the address. See if you can get a list of 10, 20, 30, or 40 properties while driving for several hours. Then, go home, research the address, find out who owns the property, and send them a letter.

Contact local real estate agents if driving around aimlessly isn’t your thing. They should know of vacant properties in their area. A real estate agent may also know why specific properties are vacant or can steer you toward better information. For instance, a vacant property due to environmental contamination isn’t a potential investment property.

3. Let everyone know

Church? Rotary club? Mosque? Temple? Beauty salon? Wherever you hang out with other people, let everyone there know that you are into real estate investing and buying rental properties. Let them know your criteria for investment properties. People want to help you out. So in your social clubs and groups, let them know.

4. Participate in real estate clubs

You know there are people meeting all around the country in almost every city every single week? Find a local real estate club and meet other real estate investors. BiggerPockets’ Real Estate Events and Happenings page is a great way to locate these people.

Find a club, and start talking with other investors. Network, get to know people, and let them know what you’re trying to buy. Real estate clubs can be a great way to find a good deal.

5. Do direct mail marketing

Send letters to people via direct mail. You never know who’s going to answer. Real estate agents make regular use of this marketing method. Direct mail is a great way to find willing sellers of off-market properties.

When using direct mail, target areas where the real estate market coincides with your investment strategy. Are you seeking single-family homes to turn into rental properties? Are you looking for houses with low property taxes? That is the market on which to focus your real estate investing mailers.

6. Identify pre-foreclosure properties

When people haven’t paid their mortgage in the last 30, 60, or 90 days, they risk losing their house to foreclosure. If you contact them ahead of time, maybe you can save them from having to go through the foreclosure process and get yourself a good deal.

It’s a win-win for property owners and real estate investors. The owner gets out of the burden of a house they can’t afford, and the real estate investor obtains a suitable rental property. That said, finding foreclosure and pre-foreclosure listings can be a great place to start.

7. Show up on the courthouse steps

After somebody stops paying their mortgage, they get foreclosed upon, and it goes to the courthouse steps. In a nutshell, that’s how the foreclosure process works.

You can show up at the courthouse, bid on it, and potentially buy the property right there.

8. Check out eviction records

Have you ever evicted somebody? It’s definitely the downside of owning real estate investment properties. So, what better time to contact a local landlord and ask to buy their property?

Head to your county courthouse, find out who keeps the eviction records, and get a list of everybody doing an eviction every week.

Eviction notices sometimes indicate poor property management on the part of landlords. An experienced real estate investor like yourself may find long-term success with a rental property because former property owners failed to perform simple due diligence, such as appropriate tenant screening or leasing to people with bad credit.

9. Post a Craigslist ad

Craigslist is the world’s largest online classified page, so why not post an ad saying, “Hey, I buy property! I purchase houses! I buy smelly, nasty, disgusting properties!” You never know who’s looking.

Granted, you’ll unlikely find the perfect property via a Craigslist ad. You are more likely to find homeowners trying to get rid of houses at busy intersections or with other undesirable features. Still, in today’s real estate market, you could find a diamond in the rough that, with work and disinfection, could become a viable investment property.

10. Search Craigslist

Instead of posting an ad, look for certain keywords of people selling their properties on Craigslist. There’s a page called “Real Estate for Sale” on Craigslist. Go there. Check it regularly.

You can also set up some automation tools with sites like “If This, Then That” (IFTT.com), so you get notified with certain keywords like “fixer-upper” or “nasty.”

11. Buy a tax lien

You can buy a tax lien, which means somebody didn’t pay their taxes, and you can get the right to buy that property and get a great deal. For some investors, buying tax liens is their primary method of finding great deals.

Many investors like the indirect way of investing offered by bidding on these liens. After winning the bid, you must pay the taxes owed, along with interest and fees, right away. The homeowner then has a specific period in which they either pay the investor or face foreclosure.

Real estate investors make money via these liens either way. You receive investment funds and interest if the homeowner pays their property taxes. If they don’t pay, you can begin the foreclosure process. Pay attention to state laws regarding the time you have to initiate this proceeding. Failure to do this can mean the loss of your investment.

The majority of homeowners do end up paying the taxes owed. It’s unfortunate for the homeowner if they can’t pay, but it’s a great way to find deals for real estate investors.

12. Search the BiggerPockets Marketplace

Find real estate deals anytime, day or night, on BiggerPockets Real Estate Listings. There are thousands on there. Go check it out today! Your fellow investors are!

13. Put a sign in your yard

If you have a yard, you can put a sign saying that you buy properties. I’m not saying to go litter your neighborhood with “I buy houses” signs everywhere (bandit signs). But a good yard sign can get you a good real estate deal.

14. Rent yourself a billboard

Go big, go bold. Forget the bandit signs. Rent a billboard on the side of the highway, and get thousands of people to see your message that you buy property every day.

In the real estate business, renting a billboard gives you a good bang for your buck. It gets your name out there and helps you find deals.

15. Get a magnetic sign for your car

You can get a magnetic sticker on the side of your car that tells everybody that your business is buying houses. It’s cheap advertising and could lead to more deals.

16. Create a radio commercial

Call the radio station and see what they can give you for a quick commercial about your property-buying business. It’s a good way to stay ahead of other investors seeking properties in the same market.

17. Look for “For Sale by Owner” signs

When driving around, look for FSBO signs in yards or bulletin boards in shopping centers or grocery stores. This is a good way to find motivated sellers.

18. Browse expired listings

When a real estate agent tries to sell a house, and the house doesn’t sell during the time period they’re trying to sell it, it becomes an expired listing. Those can be great property owners to contact to buy their off-market properties because now that they are no longer listed, no one else is looking at them, and you can snag a great real estate deal.

19. Tell your family and friends

Do your family and friends know you want to buy real estate? If not, get into the practice of always telling whoever’s around, “Hey, I’m looking to buy real estate deals. Do you know of anybody looking to sell?”

20. Place an ad in the newspaper

If you think about it, not everyone uses a newspaper. But a lot of people still do! So, newspaper rates have come down, but people still read them—especially people who might be interested in selling their houses. Give it a try! It’s a good source for finding motivated sellers and potential deals.

You might find off-market properties you wouldn’t find otherwise, especially by homeowners who don’t do digital.

21. Post an ad in a landlord magazine

Most areas have a local landlord club, magazine, or trade newspaper. You can actually post ads in there looking for more real estate deals.

Those are actual landlords and real estate investors who own those properties. So, why not contact these property investors and see if they want to sell?

22. Write a blog

When you create a blog online or do content marketing and offer good information to your local community, people will naturally end up there.

For example, here in Hawaii, I could create a blog about all the great things to do in Hawaii. Then, of course, when people visit that page, they will learn all about what my business does. So, blogging, content marketing, and similar online resources are a good way to familiarize people with your company and the fact that you buy real estate.

23. Make sure your website is search engine optimized

Search engine optimization ensures that your web page is clear and that Google understands exactly what you do on your website—you buy property. Then when people search Google for “how to sell my house fast” or “I want to sell my house now,” your website will come up first. Then, they can contact you and sell you their property.

24. Pay for ads on Google

We talked about Google a second ago. A lot of people go to Google to search for answers, right? Well, did you know you can automatically show up at No. 1 in search results on Google? You can! But you have to pay for it.

Sure, it might cost you a dollar or two or three. Maybe less, maybe more. But you can appear at the top of search results, so people go to your website when they want to sell their homes fast.

25. Buy a deal from a wholesaler

Wholesalers do all the above things to find great real estate deals. Then, they’ll sell it to you for a finder’s fee or a small markup. So you might pay them a few thousand dollars, but at the end of the day, you get yourself a deal.

Find some wholesalers! Try a local meetup, check BiggerPockets, and connect and network with people until you find an amazing wholesaler who can deliver the best deals.

26. Find a commercial broker

If you’re looking for commercial real estate, find a good commercial broker who knows your market. These are usually different people than the residential brokers, and they can be critical members of your team.

27. Search online marketplaces

There are actually a number of these online: LoopNet, CREXi, or even niche-specific ones like MobileHomeParkStore.com. There are a lot of different online marketplaces, so get out there and search the internet. Find some marketplaces where you can look for property deals in your area.

BiggerPockets Agent Finder can help you connect with a realtor working with investors to find the right investment property. Find the right agent and find the right deal!

28. Check out real estate auctions

Real estate auctions don’t always involve foreclosures or sheriff sales. Some sellers want to get rid of their properties as quickly as possible. They also want to cut their long-term carrying costs. An auction fills the bill.

This type of auction benefits the buyer and seller. The seller gets fast cash, and the buyer gets a property at a reduced price. Of course, auction fever can take hold, and bidders raise the price. Know a fair market value for the property, and don’t get carried away.

29. Look at probate listings

When a property owner dies intestate, or without a will, real estate held only in their name is not left to a designated beneficiary. Generally, according to the state’s law of intestate succession, the next of kin based on marital or blood ties receives the proceeds from the sale of the property.

A local real estate agent should know of probate listings in their area. While scoring incredible deals on such properties is possible, remember they often need a lot of work.

However, if the property has been reasonably maintained, this listing could be one of your best real estate deals.

30. Network nationally

Reach out to other real estate investors in a different market. Since these real estate investors are not competing directly with you regarding investment property, they are often willing to network with you and offer advice about how to find real estate deals.

Note By BiggerPockets: These are opinions written by the author and do not necessarily represent the opinions of BiggerPockets.