Marketing when you don't have cash?

[Sachin Acharya]

Dear Experts 

I'm currently in the education phase, and one thing that is constantly spoken about is the importance of and the different strategies involved in marketing.

I get it that the goal is to receive opportunities that you can turn into deals. 

However, if I'm still saving up the cash for the down payment of my first investment, does it make sense to go out and market? What am I going to do with the opportunities that come my way? 

Even, for experienced investors, would you always have cash ready to jump on opportunities? 

I'm sure it's something basic but I'm not getting it. 

Regards 

Sachin Acharya 

[Kerry Baird]

A few thoughts come to mind:  you could offer to buy the house from the owner using a lease option, or subject to the existing financing, or owner carry.  Not all funding options have to be cash out of your pocket.  You could line up a hard money lender, or transactional funding.  You could partner with someone who has cash, while you find the deals.  You could "bird dog" for an investor who is looking for a particular kind of property and would pay you for the lead.  

With a couple of pre-foreclosures that I was mailing, I did have to come up with funds to make up the late payments and stop the foreclosure.  And I did the rehab on credit cards when I started out. Then again, I still use credit cards to keep track of the receipts of my improvements. 

At any rate, there are a number of options available.  Handwrite a few letters to neighborhoods in which you'd like to buy houses, and see what comes up.  Be a problem-solver.