first meeting with seller

[Larry Nelson]

ok i have my first meeting with a motivated seller tomorrow morning, i'm a little nervous about it but i just want to get my first meeting with a seller over with so i can get some experience. the property arv worth 32k, the seller wants 10k i plan to talk him down to 7k. I have a few questions, what do i need to bring and what should i ask for when i'm at the meeting?

[Chris Feltus]

Hey Larry Nelson

Its normal to be nervous on your first couple meetings. The most important piece of advice I can impart is to to relax and be yourself and actually listen and to genuinely care for their situation. Most other investors bidding wont bother (assuming your in a situation with multiple bids).

When I first started this business I would go on appointments with unmotivated sellers on purpose just to build experience and work on establishing a rapport with people. By the end of these meetings they would be telling me stories about when they grew up in the house, or gossiping about the neighbors across the street. That's where you want to be. Going on meetings with unmotivated sellers quickly built my confidence up and allowed me to succeed when I encountered genuinely motivated sellers.

Beyond that make sure to continue to follow up with them from time to time if they reject your initial offer, whether by phone, email or snail mail. Situations change over time, and you want to be in front of them when it does.

As to what to bring here is what I would recommend
-Comps (two piles if possible sold that establish ARV and cash "as is" sales). You can use the "as is" sales to justify the price you are offering if they give you a hard time.
-Flashlight
-Contracts, Check for Earnest Money, Cash for option fee
-Your business cards & your closing title agents business cards
-Clipboard
-Offer sheet for them to keep

Let me know if I can offer you any more assistance, best of luck Larry :)