Flipper/Rehabber · Greensboro, NC · Member since 2018 · 16 posts · 1 vote
I’ve come across some houses in a low income neighborhood that are vacant and boarded up.. how do I go about contacting the owners, or where do I go to get information on these properties
Flipper/Rehabber · Westfield, NJ · Member since 2018 · 111 posts · 84 votes
7y
@Dorian Dixon The first place to search is the tax records. The tax records will indicate who the owners are and their mailing address. If the mailing address is the same as the vacant property then I look them up in the online white pages. Sometimes (most of the time) you can find their current mailing address which is different than the property address and there are sometimes telephone numbers, too. I mail to both addresses (the could still have mail forwarding) and then call them. If it's been foreclosed and is owned by the bank or another lender, no point wasting your stamps on those. Wait for the bank to list it. Hope that helps.
Flipper/Rehabber · Westfield, NJ · Member since 2018 · 111 posts · 84 votes
7y
@Dorian Dixon The first place to search is the tax records. The tax records will indicate who the owners are and their mailing address. If the mailing address is the same as the vacant property then I look them up in the online white pages. Sometimes (most of the time) you can find their current mailing address which is different than the property address and there are sometimes telephone numbers, too. I mail to both addresses (the could still have mail forwarding) and then call them. If it's been foreclosed and is owned by the bank or another lender, no point wasting your stamps on those. Wait for the bank to list it. Hope that helps.
Plug in the address, and you'll find the owner's address and name. Keep in mind, each county is different with updates. Some information may be outdated. If you find one you really want and you're having a hard time finding an accurate address, cross reference the name against other properties.
After you look up the tax information then go to www.Spokeo.com and get their phone information.
I used to use Spokeo about 10 years ago. I see they're still in business, do you usually get landlines these days or are you getting phone numbers of cell phones?
Portsmouth, VA · Member since 2015 · 330 posts · 191 votes
7y
Spokeo gives me both landline numbes and cell phone numbers. That being said, and having tried other services, spokeo is about 90% accurate. But my area is a miltitary town and people move frequently. So many times phone numbers here are out of date. And some people have moved but not their cell phone numbers. I have on occasion talked to people who have lived in my area but now are somewhere else in the country and they have kept their cell phone numbers. But, it is a good place to start. I use spokeo to circle dial around my listings for both just listed and just sold properties. One thing you can do for your area if you are getting many bad numbers , is to call them and ask if they have done any updates to the information. In the past they have told me the numbers in my area are about a year old and that is not good for a military town. I have found that in some areas around town the numbers were 50% accurate and others area spot on. So it depends and I don't thing any other service is any more accurate for my area, anyways.