Login | Join Our FREE VIP Investor Group

REALTY411Guide.com

Serving the Real Estate Industry Since 2007

Realty411 Team

Probate Leads: Massively Discounted Properties in Your Market that You’re Not Getting… But Your Competition Is.

By

By Kristine Gentry, Ph.D.

VP of Innovation, US Probate Leads

“My market is crowded with investors and everyone is chasing the same deals.” That is usually what we hear when we first speak to a potential customer. They are often looking for a source of leads where there isn’t “so much competition,” and they are thrilled when they begin to realize we have a solution for them – marketing to probate properties.

Increasing Numbers of Properties Available at a Huge Discount

Baby boomers believed in collecting assets like real estate. Many are cash poor but asset rich. They often own property outright with no mortgage or at least have a lot of equity in their property. Often their homes are in great condition with only basic updates needed. We are entering a phase where baby boomers are passing their assets on to their heirs.

Generation Xers and Millennials, who are inheriting the assets of their parents, lived through the rise and fall of the 2007 bubble. They are often strapped with debt. When they inherit property from their parents, they suddenly find themselves responsible for paying all of the estate expenses with little cash to do so. Also, inherited property is often split between multiple family members, so offering $20,000 less on a property may only be a $5-10,000 loss per person. Since the heirs didn’t put money into the property, unlike a foreclosure or divorce, they are more interested in selling the property quickly than they are in trying to get as much money out of the property as possible. They want cash – quick.

Studies have shown that over the next 30-40 years, more than $30 trillion is projected to transfer from baby boomers to their heirs. This means that there will be a lot of properties passing through probate. Moreover, when property is inherited, most often the heirs will sell or transfer the title of the property within 18 months. Probate leads are a great and growing source for smart real estate investors.

Many Types of Properties Available in Probate

Real estate tops the list of probate assets that can frustrate heirs and impede the probate process. Anything from residential homes, to rental units, vacant land, office buildings, and even commercial property may be among the inherited property the Executor is left to negotiate.

Personal assets also generally fall into the probate property category. These include items such as valuable cars, heirloom pieces, pianos, jewelry, antiques, and other such pieces that may have been long forgotten or remain in state of familial limbo but still possess value.

Probates may also include business interests. More and more, heirs don’t want to be bothered with assuming control of the family business. And yet there is opportunity there as well.

A knowledgeable probate investor can work with the Executor, ease the burden of their job, and creatively get the family the cash needed to clean things up while creating their own income opportunity.

How to Get Probate Leads

The good news about probate is that it is public record and available at all county courthouses across the country. The bad news is that each county handles probate leads in a different manner. In some cases, it is a painstaking process of daily visits to the courthouse to manually collect probate data. In other cases, an individual can sort through public, county records that are available online. Either way, researching and collecting probate leads on your own is very time consuming and ineffective, which is why this source of leads is often overlooked. However, one company, US Probate Leads, developed around the need to make probate leads simple and easy to use. US Probate Leads has been walking people through this process now for over a decade.

A Probate Investing Program

US Probate Leads has literally taken the lead on providing timely and local probate filings to investors looking for a growing source of access to motivated sellers. We have a large team of researchers dedicated to doing the legwork of gathering and organizing probate leads so that you only have to buy and work those leads.

Investors can purchase leads at whatever level (25/50/100/250) they deem appropriate. Or, you can invest in a plan which provides you all of the leads available within a given county. A very affordable pricing structure and a guaranteed “in” as far as knowing what is available in probate filings, make this a wonderful opportunity for savvy investors. US Probate Leads’ flexibility is perhaps what makes their program most attractive. Getting in at whatever price point you’re comfortable with, and however many leads you can manage is certainly feasible.

Probate Leads Available Now – In Your Area

US Probate Leads has access to virtually any county in the United States, meaning regardless of where you live, you can start receiving leads monthly. Go to the US Probate leads site: www.usprobateleads.com, click on your state and get started. Or you can contact them directly at: (877) 470-9751. Now is the time to make your mark in this little-known niche – never before have more properties become available than will in the coming years.  Becoming a US Probate Leads subscriber could really be the start of a whole new future, a more lucrative career, and an exciting investment opportunity.

 

 

Liens and Encumbrances Affecting Real Property

By

By Dan Harkey

What is a Lien?

A lien is a legal right, usually referred to as a security interest, in real or personal property given to a creditor to hold and possess as consideration for a loan. The creditor /lender has a charging interest against the collateral and may seek possession in the event of default by the borrower. A borrower willfully grants the security interest in a real property by agreeing to sign instruments called a deed of trust or mortgage which are recorded in public records as an encumbrance to the real property in consideration for the loan. A lien refers to a monetary claim which may be attached to one or more properties.

What is an Encumbrance?

An encumbrance refers to a claim and/or agreement to enforce the rights and obligations relating to a property. There are literally dozens of items that may be recorded in public records that create either a lien or an encumbrance on the property. The first will be the original tract map. Then comes utility easements, other easements, government mandated requirements such as historical registries, association by-laws, ownership and partnership agreements leases; various public notices such as notice of weed abatement, notices of substandard condition, lis pendens, property settlements, divorce decrees, subordination, non-disturbance and attornment agreement (commonly abbreviated as an “SNDA agreement”) parking easements, reciprocal usage and parking agreements, signage easements, property tax, federal or state tax liens. etc.

The lending industry sometimes uses the terms lien and encumbrance interchangeably. However, a lien is a monetary charge against the property. All liens are encumbrances, but not all encumbrances are liens. They both create a claim against the property that impacts the transferability and restricts the free use until the claim is lifted or is conveyed.

How does an attachment to a property occur?

In the United States we have a government system referred to as the municipal recorder’s office. The recorder’s office has the task of maintaining public records, documents; and in this case, relating to real estate ownership. Additionally, their task includes recording and maintaining records, making those records available and identifiable to the public. Those public records can relate to both voluntary and involuntary rights and claims.

Each of the above creates a cloud on title that must be dealt with, either accepting to property with the conditions or clouds, removing from title, releasing, modifying, or rejecting the property because the risk of accepting all the conditions is go great or not practical.

Each document that is recorded on the property may also contains an agreement, considerations, prohibitions, and risk that must be dealt with.  A recorded trust deed may have 20-40 pages of legalese that need to be reviewed.  The document may contain clauses such as “due-on-sale”, “due-on-further encumbrance,” etc.  This subject relating to clauses in loan documents should be addressed in another article, because of its tremendous complexity.

Sometimes a property owner may record changes in amends ownership status.  An example would be changing or conveying the title of a property from “husband and wife as joint tenants” to a “revocable family trust”. Another example may be the recording of a divorce decree or a quit claim relinquishing one’s interest in the property.

This body of knowledge and law and the process of recording and maintaining the documents becomes very important when establishing the priority of a lien or encumbrance. California law regards lien priority as “first-in-time, first-in- right”.

What is a first, second and third lien priority?

Lien priority is related to the point of time that the document is recorded in the public records office.  When a document is recorded it is date stamped and given a sequential recording reference number.  If a borrower or his/her title company recorded 3 liens at the same time on one property, that would create a first, second, and third lien, regardless of the dollar amount of each lien. The first lien is considered a senior lien, the second and third liens are junior liens. with the second lien being senior to the third.  After the documents are recorded and scanned into the public records computers the borrower will receive the original documents back for safe keeping.

What insures the order of the recording.  How do you know that the recorder did not make a mistake and record the documents out of order?  You may order and pay for an insurance policy referred to as title insurance from a title insurance carrier. The policy guarantee’s your lien priority position or may be required to pay insured claim.   If you were to go to the recorder’s office yourself, stand in line, and have the documents recorded you could check the sequence of recording yourself.  But, generally your recording of documents is done by a title company in relation to a sale or loan transaction in which you are a principal party.

Let’s assume that there was a first lien of $100,000, a second lien of $50,000, and a third lien of $25,000. on a property that you own.  If you paid off the first lien, the second would become a first lien, and the third would become a second lien. If you were to refinance and consolidate all three liens, then all three liens would be reconveyed and removed off public records. A new recording, with a fresh date stamp and recording number would be placed on public records reflecting a new first lien position. A reconveyance is a written form instructing the recorder to remove and release the lien from public records.

There are written agreements that can be created by principal parties that modify the priority of a lien, or multiple liens. One is called a subordination agreement that can be recorded that may make a lien junior to another lien even though it was recorded earlier with an earlier date stamp.

California law regards lien priority as “first-in-time, first-in- right”. California law also provides for exceptions for some types of liens whereby some liens are given “skipping power” to the front of the line. Government mandate permits certain liens to be advanced so that they become senior in priority to other liens. Mechanic’s liens, meant to ensure that tradesmen and contractors are paid, is an example of a priority lien with “skipping power”. That right is protected by the California Constitution, and further enumerated in the California Civil Code (Section 3110 et seq.)

There are limits, however, on the “skipping power” of mechanic’s liens. These relate to technical requirements such as when the construction began and the process that the claimant must follow to enforce that lien. Even in situations where the mechanic’s lien appears to have been “wiped out” by a senior lien holder at a foreclosure sale, the lien is not automatically expunged. For more specific requirements for mechanic’s liens the lender should work with counsel knowledgeable about construction law and mechanics lien law.

Other exceptions relating to “skipping power” may include issues relating to property taxes, special tax assessment districts, and in some cases homeowner’s or mutual property associations.

As a rule, a written tenancy agreement has “first-in-time, first-in right” priority. Tenants who have written agreements with dates prior to the recording of a new trust deed will have a right of occupancy and enforcement that is senior to the new lien. The tenant’s rights will run with the property until the rights expire or are modified in writing.

A real estate lender may require some modification of the statutory priority by using a written agreement between the borrower, the tenant, and of course, the lender. There are times where it may be in the lender’s best interest not to preserve the tenancy in which case a straight subordination may be used. Any change in the chain of title, whether it is a sale, a new loan or a foreclosure, can cause the priority of tenancy to be lost.

In some cases, the lender may wish to preserve the tenancy of credit tenants in order to preserve the value of the property. A subordination, non-disturbance and attornment agreement (“SNDA agreement”) may be the appropriate document to have recorded. SDNAs are agreements between a tenant and a landlord that lays our certain rights of the tenant, the landlord, and other third parties, such as the landlord’s lender or a purchaser of the property.

If I can answer questions or I refer you to good service providers, I am only a phone call away. Please visit my web site www.danharkey.com to read more of my articles related business, real estate finance, and humor & prospective.

Thank You!

Dan Harkey

Business and Private Money Finance Consultant

Bus. 949 521 7115

Cell 949 533 8315

The article is for educational purposes only and is not intended as a solicitation

 

Invest in Overseas Real Estate to Retire Smartly

By

By Matt Malouf

The 401k plan at your workplace is as traditional as apple pie. You know what it is and you can rely on it. You’ve grown up hearing about this kind of investment being beneficial in life. It’s just something everybody does, and what you should do too.

All it takes is landing a job and investing in your company’s 401k plan throughout your career. After that, you’ll have peace of mind that your retired life is covered.

Wrong!

In fact, a traditional 401k model might be jeopardizing your retirement plans and you don’t even realize it! If you too are investing in a 401k plan and not focusing on other potential investment opportunities out there, are short changing yourself.  You must know that typical plans like these only work as retirement savings plans when everything falls into the right place at the right time. That doesn’t happen all too easily.

Do you know many of these plans come with hidden expense and fees ratios attached? For instance, if you invest $10,000 in your 401k plan, over 20 years you could easily more than lose $3,000 to hidden expenses or fees. This is not at all a hypothetical scenario. In fact, many TDFs (target-date funds) have huge secondary fees attached to them.

Also, it is not at all a comfortable feeling or a smart decision to invest in a plan where your retirement depends on the words and actions of many other people. As you may know, the return depends on the month, day, political climate as well as rumors on Facebook and Twitter and so on!

So, what is the premier and smart alternative to secure your retirement while exploiting better opportunities for higher returns?

Well, let me suggest – Overseas Real Estate!

People who truly understand the potential of overseas property investment understand what it brings to your table at the age of retirement. Even if you just compare both of these options side-by-side, you will be shocked to learn how much you have already lost by letting other people control your retirement investment in a typical 401k plan.

Here are some of the endless advantages of investing in the overseas real estate;

Tap into Different Housing Markets

One of the main advantages of investing in overseas property is that you can tap into other growing real estate markets.  If you select the country wisely, you are more likely to find a market that is far more profitable than the one in your country.

You can spread your fortune by making property investments in different overseas countries. On the contrary, if you invest the same amount in your home country, the amount of money may only help you buy one or two properties. Whereas the same say USD $200,000 can buy three to five properties diversifying your portfolio even more.

All you need to get a good return is invest into a growing market and you will certainly get the benefits from capital appreciation. There is another good way to utilize your overseas property and that is by renting it out. Think about receiving rental income but in another currency. Isn’t that an excellent way to hedge your financial risk?

Holiday Properties Around the World

An overseas property provides you with different holiday opportunities all over the world. This means that if you fancy jetting off to spend summer in some other country, you have got guaranteed accommodation and that too, for free.

The story doesn’t end there.  Overseas real estate also brings another kind of stability besides a financial one. It’s called personal liability. If you own a place overseas, you can always go there if the need ever arises. In short, you can call it your ‘escape hatch’.  A place to write, brainstorm, think and get away from the daily grind.

There are many cases where owning an overseas real estate properly is the first step to fully obtain residency there. Doesn’t owning an overseas real estate property add appeal to your ‘Plan B’?

Income and Investment Diversity

For sure you must have heard of the saying ‘don’t put all of your eggs in one basket’. This saying holds true for almost every other aspect of your life and undoubtedly investment is a major part of them.

So, if you actually want to maintain a safe financial standing for yourself, especially after your retirement, put your eggs in different baskets. Overseas real estate should certainly be one of those baskets you consider in your overall plan.

Investment in overseas real estate does not only offer diversification in terms of investment but also in terms of currency. For instance, if you are a U.S. resident, then having all the money in U.S. market means you are surely at the mercy of just one economy. In other words, if you are keeping 100% of your investment in one currency (like U.S. dollar), your investment future is highly dependent on the fate of the dollar.

Therefore, in addition to having a diverse investment portfolio, if you set up an income stream abroad (like renting out your overseas property), you generate an income stream that is totally independent of the U. S economy and sometimes dominated in some other country.

Never Underestimate the Security of Hard Assets

Remember that in the current economic climate, nothing is a more sensible and smart investment decision than investing in real estate. Particularly, overseas hard assets are the best and most logical investment class to secure a strong long-term value.

Even from the point of view of above-average returns and rental yields, the foreign country rental market can be a lot more lucrative if you find the right country to invest in. For instance, the gross rental yield (average) in the U.S. is around 4.2%. If you compare it with today’s emerging international market, it’s much less. Costa Rica, for instance, has a 8.4% rental yield. Other emerging economies in South America can yield you over 15%.

Let’s face it. From a smart retirement plan perspective, when you combine these benefits, there is simply no comparison. Overseas real estate investment is clearly the winner by a long shot!

The actual point of this discussion is not to discourage or dissuade you from going for a 401k plan at work but to help you think farther and smarter. Venture outside the box, think of the possibilities on how you can diversify your life and retirement. There is no harm in considering overseas real estate investment in addition to a good 401k plan.

Matt Malouf

Author-Investor-Pioneer

http://www.MyLifeWorldWide.com

So… You Want to be a Real Estate Investor…

By

By Lou Brown

If you have the intention to be successful in Real Estate, taking a look at what is working for others may be a good place to start…

Let’s understand what you want to accomplish. Do you want to have your own business in real estate?

Do you want to buy and sell, or buy and hold, or deal in mortgages, or buy and renovate, or build, or subdivide, or some derivation of these?

Frequently I meet individuals who just think about real estate investing in terms of a way to make money, without considering the direction to take. In my mind, that’s similar to a teenager saying, “I want to get a job, so I can earn some money.” Well, that’s great… but what kind of job?

With a general goal like “making money” or “being a real estate investor” people proceed based on what they think they should do next. Which may or may not be a smart move.

Think about the traditional process we go through to start earning a living…We start with over a decade of school.

Now, did they teach us a skill to go into business at school?

No, that is NOT what is taught at school… they teach you how to work for someone else! Even courses entitled Entrepreneurship, Business Management, and Business Applications don’t teach what you need to know about creating, and more importantly… sustaining, a viable business. You see, they don’t teach what you need to know about the process of owning and running your own business. They do teach much of what you need to know about how to work for someone else, but unfortunately they do not teach us how to work for ourselves.

Not only are you not taught how to start or maintain a business for yourself, they also don’t teach how you can get wealthy. That’s the process of how to create assets that work and create income for you, instead of you working for it.

So, what can you do to learn this?

1) You must learn from someone who has done it for themselves. 2) More importantly, you must learn and adopt a process to have that happen for you without all the expensive and time-consuming trial and error that comes with creating a business without a path to follow.

Michael Gerber, author of “The E Myth,” stated that 1,000,000 people go into business in the United States each year, but within 5 years, 96% of them are out of business. I don’t know of anyone who has that intent, but that’s what happens.

They, like you, are attracted to creating a business in hopes it will provide a good living and retirement income too. But for 96% of them, that promise, or vision does not come true and they lose the chance to get freedom from the shackles of working for someone else.

Gerber goes on to say that those with the dream of entrepreneurship thought business worked one way when in actual fact successful businesses work in quite a different way… hence, the title of the book, “The E Myth.” He reports that when the entrepreneur follows a different path, 75% are still in business AFTER five years.

What he found is that those who enter business with a franchise are able to build and sustain their business because they have a path to follow… a clear, direct, tested and proven path that leads them right to the money without the risks and pitfalls that so many others fall into.

Seems sorta obvious, right? Think of some franchises…McDonalds, for example, has a system that works. It works worldwide. Follow their system and it’s almost a guaranteed succeed.

Let me relate a story. Years ago, I invested in building a Holiday Inn, (funded using private money). We could have opened that hotel and called it “Lou’s Motel”. That would have saved us a ton of expense, but would it have been an uphill battle for us to find customers? You bet it would! Not only that, we would have had to create our own reservations system, housekeeping training, accounting software, resources for supplies, and all the rest.

Instead, we opted to go with a known brand – Holiday Inn. Now at the time, this was very expensive; tens of thousands to use their name; multiple thousands for their training and more for their software and 8% of every dollar that came in, for the entire length of the franchise agreement was theirs.

Whew! But we opened the doors to an immediate 100% occupancy and understanding of the proper way to manage the hotel, staff, marketing and lots of support. We were able to take their training, tools, technology and team and have an up and running business without having to make it up as we went. That made sense to me -Doesn’t that make sense to you?

So the question you may be asking is…” Does the Real Estate business have such a path?” You bet it does! And you can actually choose the path to follow.

Your real estate investing needs to be thought of as a business – not just buying and selling a house – and just like a business, you’ll want a business plan to follow; one that allows you to build a business that will generate a good income and a future of dependable continuous cash flow for you and your family.

Your business plan needs to cover all the aspects of this confusing real estate business…

  1. Provide for safety and allow for controlled expansion.
  2. It needs to include all the possible profit centers in Buying, Renovating, Managing, and Selling.
  3. The paperwork and processes need to support all the aspects, so profits and risks don’t get overlooked.
  4. It needs to provide a business model that can be easily duplicated regardless of the size or economic condition of the market you are in.
  5. It needs to have a training and support component to allow for adjustments as the market changes.
  6. It should provide branding to benefit from nationwide recognition and marketing.
  7. It should support building a sellable business, so you can exit when you want to without having to liquidate.

In order for this concept to work in your real estate business your business plan needs to include all the necessary Tools, Training, Technology and Team(tm). It needs to be a holistic approach rather than a concept from here, a form from there, a piece of marketing from someplace else all jumbled together like some untested recipe. In fact, that is the recipe for disaster that so many would be investors follow.

And this is why, as Gerber explained, 96% of businesses without a plan will be out of business in such a short period of time.

Does this make sense to you?

So how do you get a true, time tested business plan that works in all locations and takes advantage of the most compelling profit centers in the business – complete with support to be sure that occurs?

You have to look at people who have and have been using a plan that survives the test of time and still produces results. Fads come and go, and so do the cycles of the real estate market, so don’t base your future on a trendy investing “flash in the pan.”

In my 40+ years of running my successful real estate business, I’ve identified the component parts to make a real estate business work – for anyone – regardless of their current net worth or monthly marketing investment.

I developed a system that allows you, regardless of income or background, to build a business that will have all the benefits a franchise offers without nearly the typical investment. It includes Tools, Training, Technology and Team™ … all in one place AND with the component that is the most important – the wealth aspect and huge profit center of holding property.

Anyone who is serious about having control of their financial future should have holding income producing real estate as the center or at least as a component of their portfolio. You need assets that will work for you for the rest of your life.

This is where real WEALTH resides… assets and equity working for you instead of you working for it.

The combination of Income, Depreciation (tax benefits), Appreciation (growth), Equity Build-up (appreciation and mortgage pay-off) and Leverage (using O.P.M. – other people’s money) makes this the IDEAL unbeatable combination of investment benefits usable by anyone in any walk of life.

Because of your involvement with Realty411, you likely have the basic tools already. That is a good start. You may be someone who can see the value in the holistic approach including branding to allow you to take advantage of all the profit centers.

If you understand the benefit of the “franchise concept” (a proven model and system of success that can be duplicated by anyone) and would like to structure your business to run systematically, then you are welcome to take a look at how I’ve structured my business. It’s a model that has provided me with a lifestyle I love and has provided hundreds of other investors with the same.
You can access a free training on this system anytime, 24 hours a day, by going online to millionairejumpstart.com/dealw.

Equipped with the right holistic tools, training and support, you will achieve your goals. My mission and prayer for you, is success in this business that will benefit you and your family for many years and generations to come.

Warmly,

Lou

Certified Affordable Housing Provider

The Deal of the Century

By

By Alton Jones

Is this your last opportunity to create greatness?

For all we know, it might be. That’s certainly how I live my life. But as the holidays come up, I see more people getting into the slowdown mindset. Thinking they won’t be able to do anything between Thanksgiving and new years, they stop trying. There are no good deals to be had this time of year, right?

This mentality is absolutely wrong. I believe that every opportunity might be the last to create greatness. Life is short and uncertain. We’re always existing in one of three zones — green, yellow, or red. When you’re green, you’re kicked back. In yellow, you’re about normal. But in red, you’re working hard every minute, constantly on the move, looking for the next angle and the next opportunity. I’m always in the red zone, and I hate to see people slack off to green this time of year.

Never get a good deal this time of year? I believe that the deal of the century comes along at least once a week. But you have to be operating in that red zone to get it. You have to be looking for the great seller, the private lender who will bring you the deal of the century. You have to be willing to fight to the end to get it.

You also have to deliver value. On our first Rehabs2Riches boot camp, the hotel practically had to kick us all out at the end. I was delivering high-quality content so impactful that the attendees didn’t want to leave. They were scared they’d miss out on the golden nugget that was gonna put them over the top. They stayed until the last minute, the last second of day three, because I delivered value.

I believe that price is only an issue in the absence of value. People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care. I’ve had people sell their home to me over other buyers not because I offered more money — I didn’t — but because I created a value for them. The home had been their mother’s, and in the family for over 50 years. They needed to know that it was going to be treated with respect.

I understood the emotions behind that, and exercised the golden rule. I asked a few simple questions about what was most important to them, and then showed them they could trust me to respect the house.

I found that deal by operating in the red zone, and I secured it by delivering value to the seller. And it wasn’t really about real estate — it was about building a relationship, because as I always say, we’re in the people business.

And if we’re in the people business, why wouldn’t you be operating in the red zone this time of year? Holiday events, family get-togethers, and business cocktail parties — they’re all opportunities to build relationships and find the deal that will put you over the top. You’re surrounded by people who you should build relationships with, even if they can’t do business with you right now. They might refer you to someone else down the line. But you can’t be dawdling along in the green zone and expect to find it.

The deal of the century is happening this week. Stay in the red zone and go get it.

 

Marketing to Motivated Sellers in Rural Communities

By

By Kathy Kennebrook

Since I am the type of investor who purchases properties in multiple counties and in multiple states, I have had lots of experience buying homes and vacant land in rural communities. In fact this is a part of our business that we find to be very profitable for us . I will share with you that buying properties this way is a science in and of itself. There are many different parameters and techniques you need to implement to buy properties in rural areas, but it can be a very profitable business for you.

First of all, if you like to buy vacant land, it can be a real challenge at times. For example, many times the parcels you are looking to purchase will not have a street address, making them more difficult to locate on public records to do a search. You will need plat maps and street maps in order to locate these properties. One advantage to buying in rural areas is that generally speaking the folks at the court house, the property appraiser’s or assessors office and the tax collectors office are usually easier to work with and very knowledgeable about the local area and property.

If you plan on buying vacant land, I would suggest getting a plat map book which shows the subdivisions and the properties in lot and block. The easiest way I found to do this is to go to the court house or property assessors’ office and ask if they have a copy you can buy. If this is not possible, find out if you can make a copy of the one they have. Sometimes they will let you borrow it, or copy it on the premises.

This is another main difference when working in rural areas; the folks at the Court House and Property Appraiser’s office are much more likely to be very helpful to you. Having a Plat Map Book available will make it a whole lot easier to locate the properties you are trying to buy. If it is possible, you may also want to purchase a computer program that shows this type of information so you have it at your fingertips. There are programs like Real Quest or Win2data available for this purpose.

The other thing you will also need is a street map of the community. Usually these street maps will also show subdivision locations. This also makes it easier to find the properties you are trying to locate. You can use the plat and the street map together to locate the specific properties you are interested in making offers on.

If you are looking to buy properties in rural areas there are three main ways to find motivated sellers. One of those is to work with a local Realtor. Usually, they are much easier to work with than those in larger cities. They are usually willing to share information for example on why a seller needs to sell. If the first Realtor you talk to won’t help, find another. You do need to be careful in one respect when working in rural areas with Realtors. Many times the Realtors themselves are investors, so you need to make sure they won’t snipe deals from you if you ask them for help with comparables before you have a property under contract. Also make sure the Realtor you are working with has access to the MLS because some of them do not. Sometimes there are MLS listings in these rural areas that can produce good deals for you as well. Additionally, if you plan to list properties with a Realtor, you want to make sure they get listed on the MLS.

The second way to find motivated sellers is to simply use signage. Usually in a smaller community, the sign ordinances are not nearly as strict as they are in a larger city. When you put signs up in the ground or on poles, they are likely to stay there for long periods of time, so using signage usually works very well to find motivated sellers.

The third way to find motivated sellers is to do direct mail campaigns to non-homestead exempt or absentee owners. The programs I use to do this are called Real Quest and FIS Data.  If you go to my web site at www.marketingmagiclady.com, you will find a lot more information on these companies. These programs can provide plat maps, sales information, property information, comps, and more. I personally use these programs to find motivated sellers in the community I like to buy in.

Another way I use to find all the motivated sellers I need in rural areas is to send direct mail to owners of vacant land whose tax bill has not been paid. This is an easy list to get and can be obtained from the tax collectors office. Usually these are folks who have inherited properties they really don’t want or need and this list is an extremely effective list source.

There is absolutely a lot of money to be made in rural communities and people sell for a variety of reasons. I find the main ones to be estate and probate and pre-foreclosure. All of these situations create wonderful opportunities for buying properties well under their value. Just remember that you will have to be a little creative when you resell or lease these properties since you are dealing in a very small market area. Usually I will advertise in the newspapers of bigger cities surrounding the rural area or work with a Realtor who can get these properties list nationally. There are lots of people who are looking for vacation properties in rural areas.

You will also need to set yourself up with a title company who understands your business, even if you have to train them yourself. I know that the first couple of deals I purchased into land trusts I had to explain to the title company. I even provided them with the deed that included all of the duties of the trustee. Once you have them trained, they can be a real asset to your business, especially when it comes to working with out of state sellers.

Buying properties in a rural area is a real learning experience, but I will tell you that if you take the time and the energy to do it, there is a lot of money to be made, and there is almost no competition for these properties at all.

For more information on finding motivated sellers in rural areas and the Real Quest and FIS Data programs, along with all of the other tools you need to find motivated sellers, visit my  website at www.marketingmagiclady.com  I am one of the top Trainers in the country with regard to marketing and finding profitable real estate deals and I offer ongoing support to all of my students and customers. While you are at the website be sure and sign up for my FREE Monthly Newsletter.

 

Kathy Kennebrook

Kathy Kennebrook is the ultimate success story. She spent over 20 years in the banking industry before discovering the world of real estate. After attending some real estate seminars this 4 foot 11 mother of two got really excited and before you know it she’d bought and sold hundreds of properties using none of her own money or credit.

Kathy holds a degree in finance and has co-authored the books- The Venus Approach to Real Estate Investing, Walking With the Wise Real Estate Investor, and Walking With the Wise Entrepreneur which also includes real estate experts Suze Orman, Robert Kiyosaki, and Dr. Wayne Dyer.

She is the nation’s leading expert at finding highly qualified, motivated sellers, buyers and lenders using many types of direct mail marketing. She is known throughout the United States and Canada as the Marketing Magic Lady. She has put together a simple step-by-step system that anyone can follow to duplicate her success.

Kathy has been speaking throughout the country and across Canada for over 14 years and has shared the stage with Ron LeGrand, Dr. Phil, Dan Kennedy, Mark Victor Hansen, Ted Thomas and Suze Orman to name a few.

Kathy is going to share with you how she generates a seven figure income by mailing a handful of letters throughout the year to highly selected targets by knowing exactly what to send them, who to send them to and exactly how to deliver her message. She will teach you the secrets of pre-screening and automating your marketing and follow up systems to put your entire Real Estate business on auto-pilot.

 

This error message is only visible to WordPress admins