Best approach to Cold Calling distressed home owners

[Matthew Marshall]

Hello BPers,

So I was out and about today and like always I was keeping a keen eye out for properties that look distressed. I happened to find two properties on a nice street that completely stood out. I did my research and found that one of the properties is actually occupied by a married couple. They have no mortgage on the property and it definitely needs a bunch of work. It appears that they had inherited the property in 1983.

I have the owners phone number and want to reach out, I was curious to hear how others handle these cold calls. Should I just call up and ask if they would entertain a cash offer on their house? I figured I could fish around and see what their plans are, etc. but in my experience with cold calling you have a few seconds before the person decides to hang up or hear your pitch, with this in mind, does anyone have any sort of sly method of getting the information they need and keeping the person on the phone?

Would love to hear some methods!