7 Ways to Grow Your Buyers List

Finding buyers for your deals should be the least of your worries as a real estate investor. There should be no excuses about not being able to find buyers. Buyers are everywhere, but you do need to know where to look. If you’re new to investing in real estate and having trouble growing your buyers list, don’t worry. Here are seven proven ways to find buyers and grow your buyers list.

1. Attend Real Estate Auctions

Real estate auctions are rich with investors looking to find good deals. You don’t need to be currently in the market for a new property to attend. Anyone from the general public is welcome to watch. But it’s the bidders that you’re interested in. Those are the ones who are actively bidding on investment properties. You want to focus on those individuals because in most—if not all—states, the winning bidder needs to present a cashier’s check for their winning bid at the close of auction. This separates the casual onlookers from the serious buyers. You can approach anyone who’s bidding and mention that you’re in real estate, and that you often have properties like the ones they’re bidding on. Emphasize that they can lose the competition next time and buy direct from you. Get their contact info and add them to your buyers list.

Real estate auctions like tax auctions and foreclosure auctions are held by local governments. Find out about tax auctions and foreclosure auctions by visiting your local government website. Sometimes the real estate auction information is under the property tax assessor’s tab; other times it’s just under the general taxes tab. If you can’t find the information for dates and times online just call or visit the county courthouse.

2. List on Facebook Marketplace

Facebook Marketplace is a veritable feeding frenzy for everything from handmade items to vehicles and real estate. It’s fast become one of the most popular ways to buy and sell online. Listing and selling on Facebook Marketplace is free to sellers and buyers. It’s also a great medium for building your buyers list. You can either make a generic post that you have investment properties for sale or you can list an actual property that you’re ready to sell. Ask interested parties to send you their names and email addresses for more information, and grow your buyers list with their info.

3. Browse the MLS

If you have access to the MLS, you can use it to grow your buyers list, too. Expert real estate investors recommend pulling up closed sales going back for about three months. Your focus should be on sales that closed with cash buys. Do some digging and get the new owners’ contact info. Email or call them, letting them know who you are and what you do. Ask if they’d be interested in being put on your list to be notified when you have some potential deals they might be interested in.

To get MLS access you can either ask a friendly real estate agent to share with you, or spend some time and browse around for a real estate agent with access to MLS granted on their website.

4. Place Bandit Signs

Bandit signs are not only an effective way to buy houses; they’re a great way to build your buyers list. Here’s how it works: Place some bandit signs around town advertising a house similar to what you usually deal in. For example, “3/1 SFH in family neighborhood. Investor’s special.” When people call, feel them out to see they are actually investors. If so, let them know you have deals all the time they might be interested in, and add them to your buyers list.

5. Network With Property Managers

Property managers deal with property investors all day long. They know what’s going on in any given neighborhood better than almost anyone. They often have owners who are interested in acquiring new deals that the property manager can then manage and make money off of, so the motivation to help you is there. Network with property managers in several ways. If you already own a nearby property, it’s easy to say, “Hey, I have a property right next door to one that you manage. Would the owner be interested in buying it?” Or you can just ask property managers in the same zip code as your properties if they have any investor clients they can put you in touch with.

6. Connect With Title Companies

Title companies and escrow agents in particular are in the thick of things when it comes to real estate. Build a relationship with local title companies. Ask them to let you know if there are either investors buying in bulk or serial buyers in the area. Legally, they can’t divulge contact information unless both parties agree. But they may be willing to pass along your interest to the other party so you can get that agreement in place and add to your buyers list. If you have a particular property for sale at the moment, you might ask the escrow agent to forward the address and photos so the buyer knows you’re serious and that you understand the business.

7. Go Pro on Bigger Pockets

With a pro account on Bigger Pockets you can list your investment properties for sale. As you probably know, Bigger Pockets is the largest forum in the world for real estate investors. Where else can you grow your buyers list as fast or as easy? Even if you have just one property to list, you can retain the contact information for everyone else who expressed in interest so you’ll have more buyers to contact with your future deals.

These are just seven ways to grow your buyers list. There are lots more. As mentioned, finding a buyer for your deals is the least of your worries. There are always more buyers than there are deals. If you have more ideas about how to grow your buyers list, please leave them in the comments section below.