Real Estate Investing Negotiating: Selling the Seller…
A week never goes by that someone doesn’t say to me “how did you find this deal”. It is very rare that I “find” a deal. You have to look at a lot of properties and make a lot of offers to buy a property.
I always make my first offer over the phone, on the first call. I believe that if your not ashamed of your first offer, its too high. You can always go up but it’s hard to come down after an offer. Having said that, bear in mind that you have to get to know the seller and they must like you and trust you or they will hang up on you if you hit them with an offer half of what they are asking. It is also important to note that it is very rare that your first offer is accepted, especially on the first call. I have worked with some sellers for three or four months before they “give up”. The key is to let them hear from you every week so they don’t think of running an ad, calling a realtor or calling someone else. Each phone call you make to the seller also gives you a chance to get to know them more. The more they hear from you the more they get to know you and the more they will like and trust you. Sure, you are trying to get a good deal but I have met some very nice people that I still keep in contact with.
The following is a list of questions I ask on the first call (in a conversational manner).
Whose name is the house in?
Why are you selling?
Who lives in the house now or is it vacant?
What is the value and how did you come up with this number?
What are you asking and how did you come up with this number?
(Note that because I am an investor I assume that their asking price will be less than the value. If not it gives me an opportunity to explain to the seller that as an investor I must buy at wholesale to sell at retail. I use the analogy of a car dealer. If a car dealer has a car on the lot worth $10,000 do you think he paid that for it? No, he probably only paid $5,000- $6,000 for it because he has to make a profit).
How much do you owe and to who?
Are you behind on payments?
What will you do with the money when you sell?
What will you do if you cant sell?
What condition is the house in?
After I have the answers to these questions I can make an offer before I even look at the property. I explain to the seller that I buy two or three houses every month and that I only have so much money to work with. Then I say, “If I could buy your house for all cash and close in five to ten days, what is the least you could take for it”? After they give me a number (say $25,000.00) then I may say, “I only have so much money to work with, and I am looking at several other properties. If I could buy your house for all cash and close in one week, could you take $14,000.00?
Larry Goins,
Glad to meet you.
I have this idea that may let me buy at least 4 to 5 houses per week. Your advice as to whether it will work or not is appreciated.
Send out about 10,000 letters per month to house owners. The letter would read in part “Buying Houses – Paying Cash Now”. Give the house owner a telephone number to call.
Set up a “boiler room” with 3 or 4 salespersons trained with a scripted phone presentation along the lines of the list of questions you ask.
Have the salesperson make a low ball offer on the house, per your suggestion. If the house owner accepts the offer, check out the house, then go ahead and buy it. The salesperson would be paid a commission on the house when I purchase it.
Is there anything I am missing?
$Cash$
Other investors use answering services with scripted info gatherers. The investor reviews the filled in scripts daily and calls the likely prospects. Saves time and grief for a modest cost.