Real Estate Information
Home Find a topic Links Guest Book
Welcome

Buying Real Estate Thats Not For Sale


Buying real estate can start with a look in the newspaper, a visit to a broker, or a search online. These are all good ways to find your next investment property. You're looking at the same properties as every other investor, of course, so it's not always easy to beat the competition to a great buy.

A better way to find good real estate investments is to look for properties that aren't yet for sale, and make an offer. I bought my first home this way. I put an ad in the paper stating what I was looking for, and soon had a call from an old couple that had been thinking about selling. I bought their place at a good price, and they saved a broker's commission.

Buying investment real estate that isn't for sale starts with a three step search process. First decide what you are looking for. Single family rentals or apartment buildings? Then start looking for properties that fit your criteria. Then contact the owners.

Buying Real Estate From Non-Sellers

Don't limit yourself to "fixer-uppers" or other "problem" properties that seem more likely to have owners willing to sell. Many owners of investment real estate have thought of selling, so you can start with almost any building you like. You never know beforehand if or why a landlord is ready to call it quits. You find out by asking.

Tact is necessary here. Call the owner and tell him you're an investor, not a broker. Let him know that you like what you see. Tell him you can have an offer ready in a week if he's interested. If he's not interested, thank him politely and hang up, but send him your card or a letter. Many investors have bought from owners that changed their minds.

If there is some interest, explain that you are an investor, so your offer will have to be based on your return on investment. This means you'll need to see the books. Specifically, you'll need to see the rent roll, listing the units and what they rent for, plus current occupancy, and operating expenses for the last year.

Have a confidentiallity agreement ready before you call. Let the owner know that you'll sign it and deliver it to him before you see the books. He may not want to let the tenants know he's thinking of selling, so inspecting the units may have to wait until you make an offer. Just make an acceptable inspection a contingency in the offer.

Why is buy investment properties this way? No competition and no sales commission means you may get a better price. Also, instead of waiting for that perfect property to be listed for sale, you just find it now. Why wait until it's for sale before buying real estate?

Steve Gillman has invested real estate for years. See a photo of a beautiful house he and his wife bought for $17,500 on his home page, or go straight to the section on Investing In Real Estate: http://www.HousesUnderFiftyThousand.com


MORE RESOURCES:

Times Online

Hypo Real Estate changes its CEO
Xinhua, China - 6 hours ago
BERLIN, Oct. 7 (Xinhua) -- Axel Wieandt Tuesday replaced Georg Funke to became the CEO of Hypo Real Estate (HRE) that has recently received huge fund from ...
CEO of embattled Hypo Real Estate to step down International Herald Tribune
Sneezing on the world Boston Globe
Solution found for Hypo Real Estate - BaFin chief Reuters
BusinessWeek - Telegraph.co.uk
all 1,133 news articles


Voice of America

Continental, Douglas, Hypo Real Estate: German Equity Preview
Bloomberg - 22 minutes ago
Hypo Real Estate Holding AG (HRX GY): The commercial property lender that needed a 50 billion-euro ($68 billion) bailout said Chief Executive Officer Georg ...
Video: Wall St.'s worst week in 7 years ReutersVideo
UPDATE 1-Hypo Real Estate names Wieandt as new CEO Reuters
Hypo Real Estate names new chief executive (2nd Roundup) Monsters and Critics.com
Bloomberg - Bloomberg
all 1,188 news articles


ING Clarion Global Real Estate Income Fund and ING Clarion Real ...
MarketWatch - 8 hours ago
... costs than the current default rates being paid on the ARPS," said Ritson Ferguson, Chief Investment Officer of ING Clarion Real Estate Securities. ...


Inland Real Estate Corporation Announces Date of Third Quarter ...
MarketWatch - 8 hours ago
Inland Real Estate Corporation is a self-administered and self-managed publicly traded real estate investment trust that owns interests in 146 neighborhood, ...
NorthStar Realty Finance Announces Third Quarter Earnings ... FOXBusiness
all 31 news articles


Washington Post

LRG Capital Real Estate Partners I Fund Purchases California ...
MarketWatch - 11 hours ago
LARKSPUR, CA, Oct 07, 2008 (MARKET WIRE via COMTEX) -- LRG Capital Real Estate Ventures, a subsidiary of LRG Capital Group, is pleased to announce that the ...
Value Added: Federal Capital's $230 Million Fund Washington Post
LRG Capital Real Estate Partners I Fund Purchases California ... PR-USA.net (press release)
all 9 news articles


Seligman LaSalle International Real Estate Fund, Inc. Adjourns ...
MarketWatch - 12 hours ago
Investments in real estate securities may be subject to specific risks, such as risks to general and local economic conditions, and risks related to ...


US Stocks Drop, Led by Banks, Real-Estate Investment Trusts
Bloomberg - 10 hours ago
Banks and real-estate companies then led the market lower as the S&P 500 Financials Index slumped below its lowest closing level since 1997 even after Fed ...
US Stocks Drop; S&P 500, Dow Post Worst Retreats Since 1937 Bloomberg
US Stocks Decline, Dow Industrial Average Falls Below 10000 Bloomberg
all 53 news articles


Mercury Multimedia Wins Platinum PR Award for Real Estate TV Show
MarketWatch - 12 hours ago
At one point in the fall, Virtually Open House scored a 6.0 Nielson rating, an unprecedented high for a local real estate television program. ...


New York Times

International Real Estate For Sale in ... Belize
New York Times, United States - 5 hours ago
Belize’s real estate market has exploded over the past five years. On average, prices have risen about 55 percent during that time, according to Macarena ...


Dividend.com

Real Estate Examiner
Examiner.com - 8 hours ago
Michele Lerner has been gathering expertise about real estate for the past two decades, writing for regional, national and international publications for ...
Bank of America announces rescue plan for Countrywide borrowers San Jose Mercury News
Mortgage relief by Countrywide is a small step in solving national ... Medill Reports
Accord aims to save homes Sacramento Bee
San Francisco Chronicle
all 1,425 news articles

Real-Estate - Google News

Home | Guest Book |Site Map | Recommended Resources | Search

Powered By: TJTMEDIA

© 2006
Google