I'm brand new to real estate. Found a vacant house that may be a good opportunity to buy, rehab and rent. I've found the owner's name and address (they live in another town) through the county online records. Any tips on what to say in a letter to an owner of such a property? Should I be upfront about my intent to renovate and use as a rental property (or other type of investment property) or just keep it a little more generic that I'm interested in buying it? Thanks!

Originally posted by @Seth Murray :

I'm brand new to real estate. Found a vacant house that may be a good opportunity to buy, rehab and rent. I've found the owner's name and address (they live in another town) through the county online records. Any tips on what to say in a letter to an owner of such a property? Should I be upfront about my intent to renovate and use as a rental property (or other type of investment property) or just keep it a little more generic that I'm interested in buying it? Thanks!

Hello Seth,

I would keep the letter pretty general. 

"Dear ______, I am a local Real Estate investor and I am interested in purchasing your property at 123 Main St. I can close on the property in as little as 30 days as well as handle all removal of furniture, garbage and personal belongings if needed.

Please contact me at (Phone number) or (Email), I would love to discuss some options that would be mutually beneficial."

Prior to obtaining my RE Salesperson license, I was writing handwritten notes like this. Letters on professional letterhead also worked well for me.

Best of luck to you on your journey!

Abel

Great advice, Abel! Thank you!