Master Lease Agreement - Completely Foreign?

[Marty True]

I've been sending out lots of direct mail, to owners of apartments and retail centers, offering the master lease agreement with purchase option.  I've actually gotten a good bit of calls back from the mailings, mostly saying that they were "intrigued" by the concept and wanted to know more about it.  Some of them seem very interested but then things just go silent.

In other cases, I've pitched the offer for master lease, via agent/broker, and they call me a bit confused.  My own broker says that in 30 years of being a real estate broker, she's never heard of this being done.  So my question here to all of you is... 

As much as Peter Harris and other well-known investors, that claim the master lease agreement is their "favorite creative financing tool", does it really work for anyone?

I love the concept and have gotten pretty good at pitching it, sharing all the great benefits to the seller, etc. and many people seem "intrigued" but then like I said, it just ultimately goes nowhere.

[Benjamin Pekarek]

Marty, 

Tried it here in Sarasota back in '12 and '13 when we hit a local slump. Got a lot of interest back from the 1,000+ people I sent it to, but never once did I get a property under my control. The closest I got was a triplex. They were ready to go, but their expectations were too high, and the margins were too thin. I believe it's an excellent strategy, but it won't work unless you have a desperate person trying to get out of a property, quickly, and they're willing to make the kind of money you need to get it done. Otherwise, they'll find anybody other than you to work with!