Cold calling an owner to buy an off market property

[Carmella Lombardi]

So I found an AMAZING property with a dumpy shack on it (it is totally falling apart). I found the owner through the county tax assessor and I want to contact them to see if they’d be willing to sell. How do I approach that conversation?

[Greg Powers]

@Carmella Lombardi, instead of asking if they want to sell, ask them what their plans for the property are. As soon as you ask about selling or buying, you create an adversarial relationship with competing interests—buy low, sell high. Phrasing it that way allows you to just start a conversation and uncover their motivation, or lack thereof. Don’t forget to ask if they own any other properties, too!