From experience what is the best way to find properties to flip?

[Leon Chappell]

I would love to hear personal experience of flippers regarding how they find most of their properties. Does anybody use Zillow or and other website. Is there to much competition on sites like that. I honestly am having no luck. I need a boost.

[Christopher Phillips]

The investors I work with do a combination of things. No one method works all the time due to market dynamics and where information flows.

Many are on Zillow or Realtor or others. Some have access to the MLS. When they get an alert about a new property they call me up.

The other method is I come across something that I think an investor would look for and I let them know. I have prospecting searches setup in the MLS that sends me new listings/price changes/back on the market changes each night. Sometimes those will show up in the MLS before they show up on the search sites due to the delay in the feed.

The other is when I do prospecting for listings or when showing homes and I come across something of interest.

On a related note, I also use Zillow and Realtor as well. There are situations when a listing agent doesn't use the local MLS and uses a State wide MLS. I see that a lot with shortsales and foreclosures. Might also be because it's cheaper to use the other MLS. Zillow and Realtor will shows those listings. Also, Zillow and Realtor will show the FSBOs.

Also: Zillow is a good way to find houses coming up for auction and figure out where to participate. You can also search on the HUD store site. And also on HomePath store for Fannie Mae. HomeSteps for Freddie Mac. Those also show up on Zillow, but you might want to specifically search those sites just for those types of homes.