First property, out of state

[Fin Johnston]

I have a possible opportunity for my first flip/rental, and man it’s been a long time coming, but it’s out of state. It’s where I grew up in Illinois and is next door to my sisters home. It’s been vacant, but not for six months, but 5 years! My sister knew the previous tenants and they moved when landlord raised rent beyond the norm. It hasn’t been occupied since. It’s for sure strange, but I have his name, phone number and address of the property. Not his personal address. Not sure how to approach this. A call? find his home address and contact that way? Simply text him? But this worrying about messing up first impression has been my bane. Any suggestions are much appreciated. I look forward to being on the other end of this and encourage new investors. Thanks for reading this long *** post!

Fin

[Jonathan Bombaci]

You should call, it’s more personal and explain it like you did here. 

“Hi mr seller, My sister told me about your property at 123 main st. It’s next door to my sister and I’m looking to buy property. This could be perfect for me. Is it vacant? Have you thought about selling it?”

Keep it short and simple. See if he’s interested and take it from there. If he’s interested ask have he knows how much $ he would want for the property. Don’t commit to a price until you (or your sister) walks through. If he i insists on a price before showing give him a wide range. Go with something like 

“I can’t make you an offer until I see the property, you wouldnt buy a car without test driving if right. But if you want a range I think I’ll be able to offer you something between $150,000 and $200,000 depending on overall condition. Does that sound fair? “

If you can’t bring yourself to call then text, but callings better. If he doesn’t pick up then you can leave a VM or send a text. Reaching out in anyway is better than doing nothing.

Good luck!

Jon