How to Find Motivated Sellers without Using a Realtor

Question

Finding motivated home sellers without a realtor can be challenging, but two effective strategies you can use today are Facebook paid advertising and door-to-door sticky-note delivery. Here’s how you can make these methods work for you.

****Before you discount the delivery of sticky notes - I want you to know this was my most successful buying campaign yet.

Facebook Paid Advertising

To set up your campaign, start by creating a compelling ad. Use clear, direct messages like "Looking to Sell Your Home Fast? Get a Cash Offer Today!" and high-quality visuals or short videos explaining your process.

Target your audience by focusing on specific zip codes, homeowners aged 30-65, and interests related to real estate and home improvement. Begin with a small daily budget to test performance, then scale up based on results. Monitor metrics like click-through rates, engagement, and conversions, and A/B test different ad copies, images, and targeting options to optimize performance.

Ensure your ad links to a landing page with a clear call-to-action where sellers can easily contact you. Using Facebook lead forms can streamline information collection.

Door-to-Door Sticky-Note Delivery

I hired a woman to deliver my sticky notes, paying per piece delivered and offering a nice bonus for every home I purchased from the sticky notes. This incentivizes actual delivery and increases the chance of reaching motivated sellers.

Design sticky notes with a concise message such as “Want to Sell Your House Fast? Contact [Your Name] for a Cash Offer Today! Call/Text [Your Phone Number].” Include your logo or a professional image to build credibility, and make sure your contact info is easy to find. Have your sticky notes printed at a print shop a few thousand at a time if you're serious about buying houses.

Choose neighborhoods with homes likely to sell, such as older areas or places with recent foreclosures. Plan your route to maximize coverage. Plaster your sticky notes to the front doors or mailboxes.

Track responses and follow up promptly. Adjust your message or target different neighborhoods if necessary. Adding a personal touch, like a handwritten note, can increase response rates. Be sure to check local regulations on door-to-door marketing.

By focusing on these methods and providing incentives for effective delivery, you can effectively reach motivated home sellers directly and increase your chances of finding great deals.

Nathan Gesner · Answer

Good luck! It takes a lot of hard work, particularly in today's market. Most sellers know their properties are worth a lot more than they were four years ago, so they won't sell for a song. And while you are making phone calls, sending postcards, or knocking on doors, know that there are many others doing the same.

Five years ago I didn't receive a single phone call about any of my properties. Nobody used direct mail marketing. There were no facebook ads offering to pay cash for houses. Now I get offers on my properties almost every month. My self-storage facility sometimes gets 5-6 calls in a month! There are facebook ads almost daily.

The competition is fierce.

Jeremy Fleming · Answer

I think you've really highlighted the difference between you and I, and that is that you appear to consider America a market, while I see it as thousands of individual markets. What's happening in your city/town is really irrelevant to me in my city. The local economy is usually the driver of a real estate market. You think New York City real estate prices have any bearing on the prices in Smalltown, New Mexico? Sure, things that the feds do affect your marketplace, but we are NOT a national market (I'm not an American, yet).Anyways, the banter is great, and if you want to start another thread, I'm happy to chat about real estate with you. The purpose of my post was to share some marketing methods with investors who are looking for ways to buy houses either at a discount or with favourable financing terms. This information was shared with me after I unsuccessfully tried to purchase properties creatively through a realtor. As a result, I have become a student of marketing to find properties since early in my investing career. There are so many competing marketing messages today in the world - hiring someone to deliver post-its (some people use door hangers), and also utilizing Facebook ads - these are 2 completely different methods to get in front of darned near all home owners in your area.Please share your methods of finding off market properties. That's why we are here - to learn and share. PS - I've never spent more than $5000 per month on direct response marketing, and I've never launched a campaign without generating countless vendor leads. Some I bought, some I sold to a local realtor, and some I let go. Honestly, the easiest money in this business was generating realtor leads - maybe we're onto something here.

Jeremy Fleming · Answer

If it wasn't hard, everybody would do it Nathan. You seem to have a lot of competition in your field, but you keep plugging along.I've bought numerous homes on the private market, and I wouldn't have it any other way. There are too many incompetent realtors in the marketplace who can't understand vendor financing, and don't know how to present an offer favourably. I've never "stolen" a property from a home owner - in fact I've paid market value on all my purchases, but 100% VTBs, and unsecured downpayment loans from the vendor are just not possible when working with agents. Nowhere did I say ANYTHING about phone calls, postcards, or door knocking. Thanks for muddying the waters for the readers. How DID  you secure a position on BP as a moderator?If you have anything positive to contribute to this conversation, I am interested to hear how you find all your motivated vendors Nathan.

How to Find Motivated Sellers without Using a Realtor

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