How to stop getting calls about selling my properties?

Question

I have properties in Cleveland, Ohio and get many calls and texts every day asking if I am interested in selling. I am not interested in selling! Before I sold other properties in Cleveland, I spoke to a few of the callers and found that they would offer much lower than I eventually sold it for on the market. I am an investor and will not ever be interested in selling to them for the low price they want it at.

I get 3-4 calls or texts per day per property. I can let them go to voice mail, but the calls interrupt me. My married daughter and married son have even gotten calls and texts about selling. Being on the do not call list doesn't help with these kinds of calls.

How do they get my number?  Where is my phone number listed so I can get it off the list?  For those of you who make these calls regularly, does it actually pay off?  Do you realize how much you are bothering owners?  There has to be another way to do this than bothering innocent people.  This is my exasperated self asking for help in getting these calls to stop.

Remington Lyman · Answer

How do they get my number? We find your information on the auditor's website and skip trace you. Where is my phone number listed so I can get it off the list? Everywhere. Play around with this website truepeoplesearch.com You should be able to find your contact information by just typing in your name. For those of you who make these calls regularly, does it actually pay off? Yes, this is how I find off-market deals in Columbus, Ohio Do you realize how much you are bothering owners? Yes but this is how I find off-market deals in Columbus, Ohio There has to be another way to do this than bothering innocent people. There are and I do those ways as well. This is my exasperated self asking for help in getting these calls to stop. I would recommend hiring an agency to scrub your footprint on the internet. It is pretty inexpensive to do if you are serious. Another way to get us to stop is to sell your properties and wait a couple of years for the information to change and for us to pull new lists.

Brian Garlington · Answer

When they call me here's how the conversation goes.

Them:  Hi Brian, I'm a local investor.....blah, blah, blah

Me: I am now recording this conversation. I am on the Do Not Call list. Please tell me your first and last name as well as the name of the company or investor group you are working with if applicable.

Them: (Caught off guard) Um, I'm not required to give you my last name...blah, blah, blah.

Me. You know my first and last name, yet you refuse to give me the same information. I have told you that this call is being recorded and that I am on the Do Not Call List yet you are continuing with your unsolicited offer. I also have your phone number on my caller ID as "216-123-4567" and you still insist on continuing with your unsolicited offer to buy a property of mine, is that correct?

Them: (95% of the time) Click

This is not done by me in a rude or condescending way, but it is highly effective and I never hear from them again.

Steve K. · Answer

@Stacey Mollinet Most are probably getting your name from the county tax records which lists you as the owner, then using skip tracing software to find your contact info. I’ll admit I have used this approach to find off-market small multifamily buildings for myself and clients and yes it does work (it’s a numbers game, though, maybe 1 in 100 calls is successful).

A good way to avoid these type of calls is to purchase your investment properties in an LLC. Mine are all in an LLC. I still get calls, but only once or twice a month. It’s always a professional and I actually chat them up and try to see what off-market properties they may have for sale as well as ask to get on their distribution list. I’m always looking for deals and to expand my network. Once they find out I’m a Realtor, they usually leave me alone after that. Most of them that call on my properties (small multifamily) are junior agents in commercial brokerages looking for properties to sell to a senior agent’s buyer client. They like to keep both commissions in the same brokerage, and the newer agents get tasked with working the phones. Talking to another Realtor is a waste of time for them generally, as they’re obviously not getting a listing.

So buying your properties in an LLC helps, however it’s not going to stop the calls entirely, as pro’s will just look up the LLC paperwork on the Secretary of State website and see who the registered agent is.

If you really want to avoid these calls altogether, you should title your properties in an LLC that is owned by another LLC, which is owned by the original LLC, with an attorney’s office listed as the registered agent ;) Good luck! That many calls a day would be very annoying.

Jay Hinrichs · Answer

its just real estates version of boiler room sales tactics..  before robo calls it was just straight dialing for dollars.. As shown on the movie the Wolf Of Wall St.. I remember in the middle 90s getting called by Stratton Oakmont and then they send out next day mail.. they were closers no question.. I never bought any stock though.

then in the 50s 60 70s  you had land sales men  ( Glen Garry Glen Ross movie) and then you had metal siding salesmen  ( pushing tin)

I grew up with a Dad that was a land sales men in the 60s and the movie dead on accurate of how the business was done.

Then it morphed to timeshare sales or as its affectingly know Crime share..   So Wholesaling as taught is just a version of these.. try to low ball sellers and make money pushing paper.

Some folks who bought land in the path of progress like they were selling made out QUITE well.. others who bought rural desert not so much and that property is now being traded by those who take the land Geek courses etc.. direct mail to the lots or tax deliquent list  .. re list them on craigs list or there are a few big land websites were you will see all sorts of rural lands in the west up for sale.

James Wise · Answer

Well for starters I stopped using my cell phone number on the closing paperwork many years ago. Learned that lesson the hard way. For all the ones that call off of all the data sources that do have my cell phone number I just do one of the following 3 things depending on what mood I am in when I get the call / text.

1. Ignore and block them.

2. Tell them that wholesaling is for suckers and invite them to watch my show for better information.

3. Say the 1st derogatory thing that comes to mind and then argue with them for awhile. (It's always good to keep one's battle skills sharp)

Account Closed · Answer

Wholesaling is the new gold rush, unfortunately.   It will only get worse as long as current market conditions (and weak enforcement) continue. To stop 80% of the calls to a cellphone, enable the free spam blocker service your provider offers. On Verizon its just called "Call Filter".   I also turned off the notification within Call Filter so I don't see any indication of the spam calls.   The calls it rejects will be sent to voicemail without ringing your phone. To stop 100% of the calls, enable the "do not disturb" feature in your phone to send all callers who do not have an entry in your phone book straight to voicemail.  I would also suggest having your voicemail message indicate that all calls are automatically filtered until their number is added to your phonebook, some people never leave voicemail otherwise.  Then of course you have to add all numbers you want calls from to your phonebook. If you don't want to use the "do not disturb" feature, you can pay a few bucks for an app like nomorobo which will help filter out the junk calls. I am not aware of any solution for the text spam, except just turning off the indicator noise for texts so at least it doesn't interrupt you. If you use your phone a lot like I do,  learn to always check the notifications at the top of the screen for new texts.

Emily Howlett · Answer

@Stacey Mollinet

Step 1: ensure all your numbers are actually on the do not call list (linked in another reply)

Step 2: wait a couple days for it to be logged, and then proceed to step 3

Step 3: whenever someone calls, answer the phone, get ALL of their contact information (name, business, phone number, email, etc)

Step 5: Inform them that you’re going to file a complaint, which carries a $10,000 fine for each call that’s determined to be a violation of the list. Also request that they remove you from their call list if they don’t want multiple complaints

Step 6: they hang up, you file complaint

Step 7: rinse and repeat

Shafi Noss · Answer

Hi Stacey, there is a national do not call list operated by the government, might not fix everything but it will help.

https://www.donotcall.gov

Chris I. · Answer

In regards to the text message spam, there's an app "RoboKiller" for blocking spam phone calls.  But they also have a separate app, "TextKiller" that does text message blocking and it works really well.  You can block by area code or text keywords in the text.  If you basically tell it to block all texts that mention "fair cash offer" or 'as is' you'll block 95% of these texts.  Before using I'd also get like 10 texts a day on my properties.  Hope this helps others!

Ed Moran · Answer

@Stacey Mollinet do you have your investments within an LLC or another entity that can offer some anonymity? If they are in your name you are probably on a bunch of databases (list source etc) that pulls data from local county assessors. Perhaps start using a PO Box location and set up a google phone # that goes right to your email but at already it doesn’t call your phone. My2cents

How to stop getting calls about selling my properties?

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