Often, investors think that real estate listings are not a good way to find properties. They think that distressed property owners will not have the time to wait around for an agent. Investors spend lots of time and money finding deals in alternate ways. These alternatives often include staking out deserted properties, using bandit signs and 800 numbers.

Any way that works for you to locate investment properties should not be overlooked. Using real estate listings can often get you better results than you think. You can learn a lot of important things from real estate listings. These things might help you decide whether a listing is a good potential investment.

if they are good, do not neglect free sources of leads. You can and should use real estate listings to locate good investment properties. Keep an eye out for the following flags:

* Look for houses that have been listed for a long time - For one thing, the owners may be getting nervous. They might not realize that there are options outside of a realtor. They likely will consider your interest with excitement.

* Home prices that have been recently lowered - People who are dropping their asking prices are often motivated sellers. After all, if you had all the time in the world you would wait for your asking price. If an owner needs to get out, a drop in price may be an indicator.

* FSBO (For Sale By Owner) houses are good targets - It is possible that FSBO owners are getting overwhelmed. They may just be happy to be out of the situation that they were in. They also may take a lower offer because they are not paying commission.

* Check out properties that offer owner-financing - This type of financing has inherent risk. Usually it involves working with buyers who cannot get bank loans. If a property owner will take this type of risk then they may be a motivated seller.

It is likely clear to you now that real estate listings are a good source for leads. Pick up your local real estate listings and start spotting potential deals.

Tagged with:

Filed under: Loans

Like this post? Subscribe to my RSS feed and get loads more!