Best ways to find vacant homes in Montgomery County?

Question

Hi, I'm starting out with rental property investing (first one is under contract, SFR on the Eastern Shore) and I'm looking into wholesaling as a way to supplement my income from my job and use it to fund more investments.

I'm running into trouble finding vacant homes to pursue. I know MoCo is pretty expensive and any low-cost housing is vanishing quickly, but I'm sure there are some prospects farther from DC, maybe around the Poolesville area.

I've looked around for some sort of official records the county may have, but haven't been able to find anything promising. Any tips or recommendations would be appreciated.

Thanks all,

Jack

Russell Brazil · Answer

Even Poolesville, incomes are pretty high, and with that comes a low probability of finding vacant homes and owners in distress.  That is why you dont really see a ton of wholesaling in Montgomery County in general. Most wholesalers are sourcing their properties more so in DC and PG county.  Its not impossible, but I bet for every 1 MoCo wholesale deal I see, I see 30 for DC and 30 for PG, and maybe 5 in Virginia.

Jack Barnett · Answer

Thanks for the advice Ray. I've done a bit of driving around but not as much as I should. I'll be sure to follow what you said and I'll let you know if I find something that looks good.

Ray A Delfi · Answer

@Jack Barnett by chance are you driving around in these areas? It’s so much faster to find them. Take a picture and note the address and then search the public records to find the owners. I’m sure you will know what distressed or vacant by looking at them. Google street view is another option, though the images may be a bit dated but if you look them up on the MLS/Realtor.com and it’s not listed or improved chances are it’s still vacant. People also use Uber drivers or delivery guys to do their scouting for them. They actually use the DealMachine app and add them in their account it’s a good way to track them and you get most of the public information of the property right away but requires a subscription. Hope this helps get the juices flowing. Good luck out there, wholesaling is tough, so feel free to reach out if you see something promising.

Jack Barnett · Answer

Thank you Russell, that makes sense. I'll take a look in the other counties and DC and see what I can find.