Connecting with sellers NOT on the MLS

[Ben Allison]

Hello BP community! 

My name is Ben Allison and am working toward buying my first rental. My plan/goal is to find a SFR or duplex to get my feet wet in the business and I plan to house hack as this will be my first property. I recently began driving for Uber in order to raise more capital while I look for properties in the area. One of the best things about driving for Uber is that I get to drive for dollars while I'm, quite literally, driving for dollars. I have been seeing many properties in my backyard that look to be great opportunities with a little sweat equity. I have a background in the trades so Im looking for a property with a little work. I would like to begin contacting the owners of some of these properties but am apprehensive as to how to do this. If there is anyone on here with experience finding deals not on the MLS, Id love to hear how you go about contacting these sellers! I want to begin sending letters but don't want to scare any of these potential sellers away by misrepresenting myself.

Thanks in advance,

Ben Allison

[Max Taylor]

Thats great to hear, Ben keep it up! 

Yes to both writing letters/door knocking; however, I wouldn't take the traditional direct mail approach where you send thousands of letters per month. To get a deal you either have to spend thousands per month and win on volume, or be very targeted and specific with your outreach. Personally, I would always want to have a specific reason I want to buy their house in particular that I can communicate verbally at the door or in a hand written letter. 

Maybe start by door knocking and if they're not home write a letter in your car and put it in there mailbox? Most people don't care about "quick closing!" "all cash!" salesy type offers. They want to like you and trust you, so be honest with why you're there and always make sure to understand what's important to them.