Do you call every single seller back? Even when they sound unmotivated?

[Matthew B.]

I've been getting a ton of calls and voicemails. Many of them I don't bother calling back. Usually this is because the property is something I would not want to own or flip. I also get the people who say "I may be interested in selling... for the right price!". In my experience, these people are unmotivated and calling them back is a waste of time. But I always feel bad about not returning the call. How do you handle phone calls?

[Aaron Mazzrillo]

Hear that woosh! sound? That is you flushing money down the toilet!!

Just because YOU don't want the house or are not interested in flipping it doesn't mean one of any number of investors in your market isn't salivating to get his/her hands on that deed. You should consider wholesaling those properties that you don't want.

Also, just because people say they want the right price, doesn't mean their idea of the right price is the same as what you imagine it to be for them. That house you think is worth $150K fixed up might only be worth $75K to the person who purchased it 37 years ago for $32K, paid it off 20 years ago, has been collecting rent on it for the last two decades, and now just wants to simplify his life. I've purchased lots of properties for 50% of what they were thinking they might get when they called. It's called negotiation.

You paid to make your phone ring. Call them back. If you don't want to, pass them along to someone else and have them pay you a fee for everyone they close. If it is something that can be listed, find an agent who thinks rules are made to be broken.