50 real estate leads to find motivated sellers

When dealing with motivated sellers, real estate investing can be incredibly lucrative. Motivated sellers open creative investing options, increase your number of real estate investment deals, and ultimately keep more money in your pocket.

And it all starts with generating solid real estate leads.

In this article, we will look at the 50 best real estate leads to help you find motivated sellers. We will also look at how to generate real estate leads and potentially paying for them.

Here is everything you need to know.

Ways to find motivated sellers

To find motivated sellers, you will need to generate solid real estate leads. In this section, we are going to look at 50 real estate leads investors can use to find motivated sellers. Keep in mind that some of these leads may have a small cost or commission associated with them, while others are free or low-cost.

Without further ado, here are the 50 real estate leads you can use to find motivated sellers:

1. Section 8 landlords: Each county maintains a Section 8 landlords list
2. TV and radio: Local stations and cable companies have free/low-cost spots
3. Title companies: Title companies are the first to know when a closing does not pan out
4. Tax deed sale properties: It is easy to get a list from county and state
5. Social media: Find real estate leads through Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest, Instagram

6. Small home builders: Often, buyers are trading up and may have trouble selling their current home
7. Retirees: Retirees are excellent prospects for seller financing and homes with equity
8. Rental agents and property managers: They have lists of non-owner-occupied property owners and can identify landlords eager to get rid of cash-flow property
9. Nursing and retirement homes: Frequently, residents and family members need to sell a house or don’t want to deal with tenants
10. Networking: Connect with investors online, by responding to ads and signs, and through investment associations and clubs
11. Mobile homes: Get to know park managers. Sellers have a hard time dealing with banks.
12. Market bulletin boards: Check bulletin boards in coffee shops, restaurants, and gyms
13. Car signs and wraps: Tell the world that you “buy houses” while running your errands
14. Local fast food: Many sell advertising. Pick a target neighbor and test.
15. Lis pendens: Lis pendens is essentially a notice of a lawsuit, usually a foreclosure
16. Lenders: Lenders include banks, REOs, mortgage brokers, private lenders, and hard money lenders
17. Judgments and property liens:  This includes public county or city records, mechanics liens, HOA liens, tax liens
18. Investor packages: You may be able to negotiate seller financing as well as terms
19. HUD foreclosures: For these, check websites such as Rent Clicks, EBay, Craigslist, Wholesale Sites, Lead Services, and USLeaseOption.com
20. Funeral homes: These are a good source for inherited property or upcoming sales
21. FSBO signs: FSBO means for sale by owner
22. Flyers: Think shopping centers, Wal-Mart, Home Depot, malls. You can also put flyers on car windshields or pay someone to do it for you. Use quarter or half pages and print on both sides
23. Insurance brokers: Keep an eye out for policy changes from owner occupant to landlord or vacant house coverage
24. Farm and drive for dollars: Study a local neighborhood and establish yourself as the go-to problem solver for distressed owners and distressed property
25. Military bases: This is a great market for those needing to sell quickly
26. Expired multiple listing service (MLS) listings: Get automated email lists from a real estate agent
27. Eviction court: This is a great place to find landlords
28. Estate sales: These are sometimes tied to probate, and chances are the real estate will also be available soon or be transferred to a relative
29. Door knocking: Distribute flyers and go door to door asking residents if they know of anyone planning to move because you’d like to buy a house in their neighborhood
30. Door hangers: You can also use pre-printed post-it notes to leave messages at target properties. Be sure to advertise on both sides. You can even sell the back side and recover your advertising cost

31. Direct mail: Pre-foreclosure letters, probate letters, out of town owners, bankruptcies, divorce, delinquent taxes, military owners
32. Delivery carriers: Think postmen, newspapers, Fed-EX, UPS, water delivery, Swanson guy. They can let you know about any vacant houses or who is moving, in financial trouble, or about to sell
33. Credit repair agencies and counselors: Many times, the only way someone can get their spending under control is to sell a house they can no longer afford
34. Courts: Eviction filings, probate, divorce cases, tax liens, code violations
35. Personal finance and car lot finance companies: These can be good lead sources for people who are in financial difficulty and used to dealing with “terms”
36. Condemned houses: Many counties will provide you with a free list
37. Classified ads: Look for specific keywords that could possibly mean the seller is motivated, such as transferred, motivated, divorce, owner financing, must sell, etc.
38. City and county inspectors: Code violations and red tags. If you develop a reputation for buying distressed properties and improving them, you become an asset to the community
39. Car repos: Signs of financial trouble. Get a list from repo specialist or wreckers
40. Price reduced MLS listings: Get an automated email list from a real estate agent
41. Business cards: Different types include one for sellers, one for buyers, and one for professionals
42. Bird dogs: Bird dogs can be very valuable to your business. It is important to know your local laws about compensating unlicensed people, however, so do your homework first
43. Auctions: Often times, you can catch a good deal in a tax sale by beating the auction deadline. List provides property address so you can contact owner
44. Attorneys: Think probate, real estate attorneys, family law, and divorce
45. Advertising: You can advertise just about anywhere: newspapers, online, through social media, etc.
46. Make Ready & Carpet Cleaners: Many of their customers are preparing a house for sale
47. Accountants and CPA firms: Accountants and CPA firms have clients that might need to get fund of assets (houses) for tax purposes and can identify clients that have unwanted property or rentals
48. “We Buy Houses” bandit signs: Check your local sign ordinances
49. Damaged/distressed houses: Looks for blue tarps on roofs, boarded up windows, overgrown yards, etc. Contact the owner to see if they want to sell the property
50. Withdrawn MLS listings: Get automated email list from a real estate agent

Where do most realtors get their leads?

Most realtors get their leads by building partnerships. To build mutually beneficial partnerships, it is important that you network with other local businesses in your area. In this case, going the extra mile does not have to be overly taxing. You can co-host happy hours, form local alliances, or even send gifts to leads or clients.

Here is a look at three industries where real estate agents can form productive partnerships and generate solid real estate leads:

Commercial lenders

Mortgage loan officers are an important part of the home-buying process. But most home buyers do not have a loan officer in their back pocket. That is why it is important for realtors to build strong relationships with commercial lenders. You can then suggest them to home buyers when they are ready to make an offer.

Title companies

This may be a less glamorous lead, but partnering with title companies is very important. In fact, you should have a few go-to companies to recommend to your clients. Connect with business whose clientele is relevant to your aspirations and your preferences.

After you establish partnerships, you can then provide leads and referrals. Everyone involved will gain a lot from this type of relationship.

Landscapers

First impressions are important. And landscapers provide home buyers with their first impression of the home or property. Therefore, you should encourage your sellers to have their properties landscaped by professionals. Doing so will help to ensure that their homes look the best. Forming strong relationships with landscapers may also score them the best deal.

Is it worth paying for real estate leads?

If you see a lull in your business, paying for real estate leads may be a good option. Buying real estate leads are also a good idea if they result in at least one real estate transaction.

For instance, if you pay $1,000 on a lead list and attract one client who wants to purchase a property, your earnings will likely be five times that amount or more. 

Having said that, it requires patience and hard work, to comb through lengthy lead lists, make cold calls, and deal with more dead-end leads. It is therefore up to you (and your time, energy, and costs) to determine if securing a real estate leads list is worth it.

Paying for real estate leads: pros

One of the major benefits of paying for real estate leads is that it alleviates the work of finding buyer and seller contacts. Even if you reach out to a potential client and it does not work out, you still have a solid list of prospective buyers and sellers to fall back on in the slower seasons.

Paying for real estate leads: cons

As with anything in real estate investing, it is a good idea to weigh the pros against the cons. One of the main drawbacks of paying for real estate leads is that, in all likelihood, other agents in your farm area have the same contact list. In other words, your bought leads are not necessarily always exclusive to you.

You also risk spending money on contracts that offer little value to you. There is always the chance that you will spend your entire sales budget on a real estate leads list and walk away empty-handed. So keep in mind that it can be a gamble.

Remember: real estate leads can come from just about anywhere

Real estate investing can help you achieve your financial dreams and provide you with the freedom to enjoy life. But it’s got to start somewhere. That is why real estate leads are so important. And if you find creative ways to find motivated sellers, then you will have a much better chance of achieving your investing success.

Read more: How do I educate myself to invest in real estate?

To find out more about how to get into wholesale real estate, get in touch with one of the mortgage professionals we highlight in our Best in Mortgage section. Here you will find the top-performing mortgage professionals across the USA.

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