Neighbor moved - How to capitalize?

[Kyle Geoghagan]

Hello, I am wondering how I can best capitalize on this situation. Someone in my neighborhood recently just moved about three hours away for the husband's job. Funnily enough the wife is a real estate agent, but I don't think she is very active as she has no listings and I can't find any activity in the market recently. The wife plans to do real estate in their new city. They moved away about 2 months ago. I have seen them back at their house maybe once or twice, but rarely ever there and it sits vacant. I live in Tallahassee which is a huge college town and the house would rent pretty easy and would be easy to keep an eye on as it is close by. 

I'd love to approach them about some sort of seller-financed or rent-to-own option or something. Most of my capital is tied up elsewhere right now so I don't really have much to put towards a downpayment. Is this possible to capitalize on and if so how would you do it? Thanks!

[Ebonie Beaco]

If the home is sitting vacant and they’ve already relocated, they may be dealing with carrying costs, insurance concerns, and management headaches from a distance. That’s usually where creative solutions start to make sense for sellers.

Seller financing or a lease-to-own structure can work, but it depends on a few things: their remaining loan balance, interest rate, and comfort level with becoming a lender. If they have a low-rate mortgage, they may be hesitant to give that up, but they could be open to a solution that covers their payment and reduces risk.

Another option to consider is approaching them from a problem-solving angle rather than a purchase angle. For example, offering to help them place a strong tenant and manage the property locally, with a future purchase option built in once your capital frees up. That often feels safer for sellers than immediately transferring ownership.

Before proposing anything, I’d recommend understanding their current loan terms and monthly obligations. That will tell you very quickly whether seller financing, a lease option, or even a subject-to structure is realistic.