Real Estate Investing: How To Get Motivated Sellers

Posted by Nick Niesen on November 8th, 2010

You really want to find motivated sellers for real estate investing? Put a gun to their heads. That'll give those sellers a chance to suddenly find their motivation. But, unfortunately, putting a gun to someone's head is illegal. There's nothing like an assault with a deadly weapons charge to put a damper on your real estate investing.

So, you have to resort to legal means to find motivated sellers. Despite a slew of advertisements on the web and in pint, there is no easy answer for succeeding in real estate investing. Expect to put in long hours and hard, migraine-inducing work in order to make a profit. However, this is the best way to learn any skill.

Who Are They?

Just what makes a motivated seller (or buyer) any different from any other real estate seller or buyer? "Motivated seller" is a euphemism for someone who knows more than the average person about real estate investing. It also means they are willing to negotiate in order to sell. They are to be distinguished from the average person who is just curious what he can get on the current market, or who will only sell under strict circumstances.

A motivated seller in real estate investing could mean that they are desperate to sell, but it also means that they could be experts in negotiation, are beginning the foreclosure process or are thinking of removing the property from the listings altogether. Think of motivated sellers as really successful used car salesmen. You will not be able to pull any kind of wool over their eyes.

Why would you want to find a motivated seller when you're into real estate investing? They are truculent, argumentive and going to give you a hard time. However, they are also the ones who will wind up eventually selling you the property you want and often at your price. They need to get rid of the property that they have.

Finding These Guys And Gals

There are many online newsletter services that claim to do all the work or finding motivated sellers for any real estate investment newbie. Don't believe them. Sure, they will find you some motivated sellers, but you will find them anyway if you concentrate on the property and not the on the seller.

The best way to find motivated sellers in real estate investing is to not look for them. Then, they show up like buses. Whet you need to do is concentrate on the property available. First off, is the property worth buying in the first place? Is it within your price range? How much fixing up does it need?
Location, Location, Location

In order to select the property that you are going to work to buy, you need to consider the location it's in and the real estate market in that particular area. Select the area before you select an individual property to target. Once you've hit a target area, then you can get to specifics buy looking at real estate listings and even doing a direct mail campaign for that particular area.

If you do a direct mail campaign, make it short and sweet. A regular (and economical postcard) with the necessary information is all people will need to see. And people can will se information on a postcard immediately as opposed to having to open an envelope. People will often not even bother to open an envelope from an unknown or unfamiliar return address, just assuming its junk mail.

When you concentrate on a location and get the word out that you are interested in buying for this location, then the sellers will come to you like flies to rotting meat.