Finding motivated sellers (my list)

[Kenneth E.]

Hey guys, over time I have taken lots of ideas from BP on finding motivated sellers. I compiled a list and am sharing it back with BP members. Enjoy!

Hey guys, over time I have taken lots of ideas from BP on finding motivated sellers. I compiled a list and am sharing it back with BP members. Its nothing new, just my list.... hope it helps a new person out.

1. Tired landlords
a. List of eviction court attendants
b. Mailers to Out of state landlords
c. Mailers to Landlords who own more than one property with back taxes
d. Mailers to Landlords who own tax delinquent multi-family properties
e. Buy a “leads list” of landlords from: (www.realquest.com)

2. Mailers to Property owners whose assessment went way up this year
3. Mailers to Properties that were owned by known investors who went out of business
4. Mailers to out of state landlords/Owners of multifamily houses
5. Mailers to Tax delinquent homeowners
6. Place “We Buy houses” flyers/business cards at unemployment offices….a lot of people there could be having trouble with their homes and may need a solution
7. One-page Flyers posted on bulletin boards at large stores
8. Mailers to Vacant land owners (only in specific areas where development is ideal)
9. Using Craigslist to find sellers:
a. Post ad that states, “We Buy houses”
b. Send emails to craigslist ads with apartments for rent (the emails go to landlords who may be looking to sell, or buying more properties)
10. Mailers to specific zip codes (preferably low income neighborhoods) asking if they want to sell or know someone who does
11. Mailers to People getting divorced
12. Mailers to Divorce Attorneys who can refer clients to us
13. Mailers/emails to FSBOs
14. Send mailers to expired MLS Listings
15. Post ad on www.Backpage.com: We buy houses
16. Send mailers to properties purchased between 3k-20k within last five years (owner might be wanna-be flipper who did nothing with property)
17. Send mailers to estate Executors/Administrators
18. Send mailers to Estate/Probate Attorneys (consider having my attorney send letter, business cards to Estate attorneys because attorneys always open mail from other attorneys)
19. Bandit signs: We buy houses
20. Big Baller marketing: TV, billboards, radio ads
21. Send mailers to Out of state owner who have owned for more than x years (more than 30 years, so you know its free and clear meaning they will be more flexible with sales price)
22. Send mailers to Building code violators
23. Send mailers to Health code violators
24. Send mailers to people facing foreclosure
25. Purchase leads lists of folks who inherited homes
26. Send mailers to people making double payments (bought a new house, REALLY want to sell old house)
27. Target people who have been transferred (job) and must sell NOW
28. Target people with medical problems / health issues who cannot keep their houses
29. Target who own vacant homes
30. Target people who are having financial chaos of any sort
31. Target people who are 30-60 day late on mortgage lists
32. Send ads/ mailers/business cards to Credit Repair Agencies & Credit Counselors
33. Target HUD/VA Foreclosures
34. Send mailers to people arrested for violent crimes (going to prison for a long time)
35. Send Mailers/ads/business cards to Realtors
36. Send mailers to employees who have been laid off (ie “corporate downsizing” in the news)
37. Networking with other investors, ACRE
38. Locate list of section 8 approved properties—send mailers to the owners
39. Post Newspaper classified ads: We Buys houses
40. Send mailers to Properties with liens: Mechanics Liens, HOA Liens, Tax Liens
41. Contact sales people at new home subdivisions (their clients will want to sell their OLD houses) (or place signs near new home subdivisions that say "Sell Your House Fast" with your phone number….they will want to sell their old house ASAP)
42. Contact mortgage companies; they may know of people wanting to sell their old house/last house
43. Hire bird dogs (sometimes even through craigslist “help wanted” ads)
44. Send mailers to Bankruptcy court listings
45. Send advertisements, business cards to Accountants and CPA Firms: They have clients with financial problems where an investor can be of help.
46. Send ads, mailers, business cards to real estate attorneys
47. Advertise using Apparel with Logos: Hats, T-Shirts, Golf Shirts,
48. Send to anyone getting their car repossessed: If the car is going the house isn’t far behind.
49. Send ads, business cards to carpet cleaners: Many of their customers are preparing a house for sale.
50. Consider sending mailers to charitable groups/churches: They frequently receive gifts of real estate, but they’d rather have the cash
51. Send ads, business cards to City & County Inspectors: Code violations and red tags. (If you develop a reputation of buying distressed properties and improving them, you become an asset to the
52. Community)
53. Send ads to Large Employers (HR departments): Let them know you buy properties because if they need to transfer an employee, they don’t get stuck carrying the house. This can be good for renting
54. executive properties for short-term transferees, too.
55. Place ads on boards at Nursing & Retirement Homes: Frequently residents need to sell a house.
56. Consider placing Door Hangers on target properties: You can also use pre-printed post-it notes to leave messages at target properties. Be sure to advertise on both sides, you can even sell the back side
57. and recover your advertising cost!
58. Send mailers to addresses having Garage Sales: Are they moving?
59. Send mailers to Hair Salons/Barbers: A social hub! Lots of talking going on during haircuts!
60. Send mailers, ads, business cards to Insurance Brokers: Policy changes from owner occupant to landlord or vacant house coverage.
61. Recruit Mail Carriers to notify you of vacant properties
62. Send mailers to Owner of multiple properties (target them to offload portfolios)
63. Post advertisement in PennySaver type papers: We Buy houses
64. Send mailers to Water, Gas, and electric company shut off lists
65. Or, just buy leads from:

a. www.Listsource.com
b. www.USLeadsList.com
c. www.MelissaData.com
d. www.propertyleadsnow.com
e. www.foreclosuredata.com
f. www.Wehavehomeleads.com

[Darren N.]

Originally posted by @Dan G.:

Originally posted by @Dale Osborn:

If you check the file section - you will see my list under spreadsheets titled "zero down - motivated sellers". I tried to keep
it all on one page to make it easy for people to have a simple guide to see who to contact. You may have all of these in your list and perhaps you will find a few more ideas that will help out in your investing goals. Good Luck.

Dale, where do I find the file section you mentioned in your post ?

I just grabbed the file myself. It is located in the resources section:

Resources > FilePlace > Dale Osborne's Files > Zero Down - Motivated Sellers

Or you can search for "Zero Down - Motivated Sellers" in the main site search.

[Steve Babiak]

Originally posted by @Dan G.:

Dale, where do I find the file section you mentioned in your post ?

Dan, Dale is deceased. 

[Benjamin Cowles]

Holy crap that's some list! Thanks

[Barbara Kennedy]

I appreciate you sharing this information . Being new In this business I know the value of learning from those who are experienced.

[Nechole Thompson]

This is AWESOME @Kenneth E.thanks for sharing!!! 

[Kenneth E.]

Thanks, all. Now go use it and kick some butt!

[Minh Ly]

Thanks heaps for your generous info Kenneth!

Minh.

[Marlene Jordan]

I'm using info from court clerks office to locate landlords going through the eviction process. It doesn't happen all the time, but what do you tell them when they ask "Where did you get my name and number?" Do you tell them the truth?

[Adrien C.]

Originally posted by @Marlene Jordan:

I'm using info from court clerks office to locate landlords going through the eviction process. It doesn't happen all the time, but what do you tell them when they ask "Where did you get my name and number?" Do you tell them the truth?

 Just let them know you got their address from public records with the county. No big deal. 

[Chris Eldridge]

Very helpful, thanks!

[Mark Kelley]

Great list. Thanks for sharing.

I saw some talk about attorneys through the thread and wanted to share a quick anecdote about attorneys and leads.

When I purchased my new home, the RE attorney handling the closing asked about our then current home, which we had not listed. It's in a highly desirable location, and he said that he could put us in touch with someone that would buy it for cash.

He was fishing for leads for one of the primary developers in our neighborhood in Raleigh, who would have loved to tear down our 1940s bungalow to put up a McMansion.

The exchange surprised me a bit, and it also showed me attorneys can be a potential lead source,

[Hannah Sargent]

Awesome list! Thanks for sharing. I am new to wholesaling in Raleigh NC so this will definitely help!

[Jim Chung]

thanks kenneth. great info.

[Tristan S.]

Hey guys, great thread. From your experience, what's the best lead website out there ?

[Allan Smith]

@Marlene Jordan Yes, just like the other gentleman said, say "I retrieved your information from public county records. Do you have a house for sale?" And put the focus back on them and their house. If they are at all motivated, they will bounce back into talking about the house or the tenant issues.

@Tristan S. If you are referring to generating leads to homeowners with certain criteria (high equity, absentee owner, for instance), LISTSOURCE.COM is generally regarded by investors as the place to go.

[Tristan S.]

ALLAN SMITH I have been using list source in the past to pull simple absentee owner list. That did not really lead to anybody motivated.
I was wondering what other websites you guys were using when pulling lists that might have another layer of motivation (pre foreclosure...etc) ?

[Kenneth E.]

Hi all. Glad this thread is still helping people! For those of you who said "thanks", well, you are welcome. :)

I hope you guys are rolling in the dough now!

Just popping in for my bi-annual check-in.    :)

KE

[Account Closed]

Hi Kenneth,

I know this was posted years ago, but I am happy to have stumbled upon it.  I don't know how someone so smart (me) didn't think to keep a list of the various ways to find motivated sellers.  Ha!  I TOTALLY appreciate this.

Best,

.Ni.

[Autumn Allen]

@Kenneth E. I think this is a great list you have put together. You could get peoples email addresses who are interested in process automation and time optimization and send out your thoughts to that group of email addresses so you know who your audience is that you are sharing information with. Just a thought :)

[Alicia Mccormack]

Hello Kenneth,

I am getting back into Real Estate Investing and thanks a great deal for all of your suggestions.

I will be implementing today!

Thanks again.

[Joel Villa]

Thank you for your advice Kenneth. I'am interested in how you go about getting your arrest records? I have tried contacting my local police departments and they say they cant give me any info unless I was directly affected by the crime. 

[Brian Hill]

And even after 5years this list is still greatness! Thanks @Kenneth E.!!!

[Kenneth E.]

@Joel Villa You would see arrests in the newspaper, then look up their address using TLO or accurint.

@Brian Hill Thanks LOL. Now, go make some money. :)

[Account Closed]

Holy cow this is a comprehensive list! Thank you

[Chris Harjes]

Just to save folks some time from here on out- I tried the list of data sources at the top thread, and most were either outdated, not relevant or had terrible reviews here on BP. The deal-finding ideas are still awesome, but the list of online data sources may need some updating ....