To excel as a real estate investor, it’s not enough to find leads. The reality? Leads are everywhere. Throw that proverbial rock and you’ll hit a potential lead or two or 10. The trick? Finding MOTIVATED sellers. These sellers want—and often, NEED—to sell their property. And, typically, they want and need to sell their property yesterday. Find these sellers and you’re in business—literally.

So the big question: where and how do you find these critical sellers?

Top Spots for Spotting Motivated Sellers

Now the good news: motivated sellers are EVERYWHERE—you just need to know where to look for them. This rundown will give you ample places to start searching for these top-tier sellers. Start with a few that are most relevant to your business and your market right now, then build out from there. The key is to figure out what works and what doesn’t in your immediate market, then do more of that. Usually, a few winning strategies pop to the top early on and you’ll be able to dig in, adjust based on key lessons and takeaways, and keep pushing forward. Lead generation is an iterative process—the more you assess your progress, make note of missteps and use it all to inform your next step, the better you’ll be.

So, in short, start here. And don’t stop.

INDUSTRY CONTACTS

1. Investor-friendly real estate agent—these agents know the market and know how to help real estate investors get ahead. Your agent should be your primary source for great deals and great sellers.

2. Bird dogs—depending on your market, bird dogs can help drive motivated sellers to you without any out of pocket costs.

3. Title companies—they always know when closings are happening and when they (suddenly) aren’t…

4. Home builders—they often have good leads on motivated sellers or past clients who need to sell ASAP

5. Banks—track down the person or department who handles REOs (bank-owned properties)  

6. Lenders—hard money and private money lenders may be able to push you towards underwater owners

7. Real estate attorneys

8. Accountants

9. Retirement homes—many residents aren’t using their property but don’t know how to sell it. By providing an easy, high-value solution, you could likely put together a few great deals for both sides.

10. Funeral homes, obituaries and estate sales—many motivated sellers have recently inherited property they don’t want or can’t afford to keep. Be the solution.

11. Credit counselors—make connections with these valuable counselors and you’ll likely be top of the list when they have a client who needs to sell

COUNTY RESOURCES

12. Section 8 landlords—call your county or do a little Google searching to find a relevant list

13. Condemned property lists

14. Code violation lists

15. Lawsuits and lis pendens—contact your county to pull a list. These are public record and should be easy to obtain online or in-person.

16. Lien properties—check out which properties have liens for property tax non-payment. Often, you can negotiate a great deal to help them avoid an auction or foreclosure.

17. Eviction records—many landlords need to evict tenants at some point, so this can be a great way to build your contacts within this lucrative universe

AUCTIONS & SALES

18. Tax deed auctions

19. Tax lien auctions

20. HUD foreclosures—sites like USLeaseOptions.com, Craigslist and more list all HUD foreclosures. Get in touch with the sellers and see if you can strike a mutually beneficial deal.

ONLINE & SOCIAL SOURCES

21. Advertising in print and online—it’s easy to find pay-per-click (PPC) options, solo ads, search ads and other targeted advertising for, in many cases, pennies

22. MLS, Trulia, Realtor.com and Zillow—look for FSBOs, price reductions and other signs of motivated sellers (i.e. “price to move” or “must sell” in the listing)

23. Facebook advertising, groups and proactive outreach

24. LinkedIn—find industry contacts, then see if they can steer you to motivated sellers

25. Expired MLS listings—your real estate agent can help you pull

26. Withdrawn MLS listings

27. Online classifieds like Craigslist and other local listing services. It may take some digging, but these can be treasure troves.

DRIVING FOR DOLLARS

28. Mobile homes and parks—stop by, see what you can see and see if you can connect with the park managers. Often sellers WON’T be considered by a traditional bank or need to sell quickly.

29. Bandit signs—even if you don’t need to sell, try calling a few and connecting with the wholesalers and rehabbers on the other end. Often, they’re interested in striking up partnerships with fellow investors or, at the very least, can help point you in the right direction.

30. Bandit signs (part two…)—POST bandit signs and see who responds. Often, you’ll hear from more than a few motivated sellers.

31. Wrap your car—why not add a low-cost car wrap or magnet to your car? Whether you’re parked or driving around town, people will see it, snap pics and, more importantly, pick up the phone.

32. Scour your market for FSBO (for sale by owner) properties and CALL

33. Leave post-it notes or just KNOCK—if you see a visibly distressed or vacant property, don’t hesitate to knock or leave a note. You may get an aggressive owner but, often, you’ll connect with someone ready to sell.

34. Leave flyers on cars in parking lots—while it’s time-consuming and most people probably aren’t motivated sellers, this is a simple tactic you could easily roll out today

NETWORKING & EVENTS

35. Local REIA events

36. Meetup.com events and get-togethers—check the site and search for your market and/or niche

37. Online networking—LinkedIn and Facebook are filled with industry groups and invite-only boards where real estate investors can rub elbows, exchange ideas and help others find motivated sellers

38. Bulletin boards—pick high-traffic spots like the grocery store or local big box store. It’s likely they have a bulletin board or two at the entrance—simply pin up a sign with your contact information that indicates you buy distressed properties for CASH. Your phone WILL ring…

OR…

39. Direct mail—targeted lists are readily available, such as foreclosed properties, pre-foreclosures, probate letter, divorces, bankruptcies, tax liens and more. Pull some lists and get letters or postcards out ASAP.

Again, start with any one (or two or 10…) of these strategies and GO. It’s hard to predict what’s going to be most effective in your market versus another. In some markets, it may be easy to make industry and county-level contacts and fill your pipeline forever. In others, you may need to pound the pavement and get in front of homeowners and property owners. And in others, it may be a combination of a few strategies—or, even, shifting seasonally. But by diving in and figuring out what works and what doesn’t, you’ll keep your pipeline filled now and in the future.