How to get Leads - Explained Part 1

[Account Closed]

I buy and sell in Arizona, Texas, Washington and California mostly Subject To. (Which makes for interesting taxes and LLCs :-) They all have one thing in common. More leads than I know what to do with. It isn't that I have discovered all of those leads yet, but they are there. On average people need to move every 7 years in this country. That means the turn over is so large you will never run out of leads if you will do some of the following:

1. Be consistent. "You can't harvest the crop if you don't plant the seeds".

2. Keep track. Build a spreadsheet or database or CRM of those that you contact. Track the date, phone number, contact name and property address at least.

3. Make the calls

So, where do I find those leads? There are the usual places everybody goes to, so I'll save that for a future post. Here are a few you might not have thought of: Keep in Mind. These are for BOTH Buying & Selling.

1. Festivals and Fairs and where people gather. We are entering the seasons where people are outdoors more and more through the spring summer and fall. I have a business card that includes a picture of a house that states who I am, what I do and what I am looking for. I use both sides. The cost is cheap, (Vista Print) inexpensive and I can design my own message quickly. I can change the message easily. I take a handful and and stick them in driver side car windows. I've gotten some good business from that. I also hand them out as I go about my day.

2. Garage Sales. Most people hold a garage sale when they are planning on moving. Time "to clean out the place." You want to get to them before a realtor does. Ask the question, "Are you considering selling?" Seems basic enough, but few people actually ask. Once you start asking, you will find people who want a "quick & easy" no hassle sale.

3. I've found a cool way to find vacancies. You can filter an address list through one of the websites on-line that tells you which houses are not being delivered to by the Post Office. If you mail to those houses with "Address Correction Requested" you typically get the owner who obviously no longer lives there and may be more than happy to do a sweet "Sub 2" to you! The great thing is, since they are so hard to find, there is no competition

So many leads, so little time.

Happy lead hunting, 

Ken