All Forum Posts by: Christa Burket

Hey @Robert Jackson!

I'll share with you our process, though so far it's hit or miss whether we've been able to track down their phone number. 

Most counties have a portion of their website dedicated to property information. You can look up pretty much any street address and find the owners name, where they currently reside, tax information, info about the house, etc. It sounds like you already did that by going to the county office but for future homes it may be helpful to see if your county has that information available on their website. 

To go a step further and find the person's phone number I've had some success using the White Pages. You just type in the person's name and location and it generates a list of people with that information. Usually their street address is included and you can confirm whether it's the right Bob Smith (for example) that you're looking for. If that doesn't work, doing a Google search on the person or trying to look them up in a physical phone book may bring some results.  

That's the best method we've found so far. It'll take some legwork to find all the info you need but if you're persistent I'm sure you'll be able to find it!

Hope this helps - good luck!

Christa 

Hi @Nate Harris!

We purchase lists from a company called AgentPro247. We've done a couple mailers from the lists and have gotten a few leads though no closed deals yet. 

Hope this helps!

Christa 

Hey @Joe T.!

My first suggestion would be to find an accountant. They can help you on the accounting/taxation side of things to make sure you're keeping accurate records and advise you in areas you might not be aware of. When we started with our accountant he also helped us set up our QuickBooks account and did a training period with us on how to use the software. I'm not sure if all accountants do that, but you may be able to find someone in your area that is willing to do something similar.

Are you connected with a REIA in your area? We found our accountant through a REIA meet up (he spoke at one of the meetings) and it's been a great fit for us. You could also ask some other investors who they use.

Accounting can be intimidating when you start out but the more you do it the easier it becomes and having a professional to bounce questions off of is worth the investment. I hope this helps! 

@Joe T.

Hey Charlotte! My husband and I are also in the process of looking for payment collection methods right now so thanks for posting this question! It definitely becomes a pain when you allow tenants to pay via check/cash/etc. We have a 3-unit out of state that we don't have any auto or electronic payments set up with and have never ending issues with tenants short paying, not paying on time, etc. Looking into options right now where they can set up auto payment methods to eliminate some of the hassle. Wish you the best as you look into it - definitely a good idea!  

Welcome to the world of REI, @Khalil Cherry! I live about 30 minutes outside of Rochester. My husband and I have been investing for the last four years and love it! He's also a realtor so if you're ever looking for help with on market deals I can get you his info. Best wishes as you start to look for deals! 😊

Hi @Kasey Gourley! Congrats on taking this step. It's been a while since you posted this so you may have already gone ahead with your mailer but I wanted to throw my two cents your way. My husband and I have done a few mailers and typically target home owners from the tax foreclosure list in our area. From each list we have been able to meet with a few motivated sellers and one resulted in our first flip. 

We typically send out postcards and they are fairly simple with a text that resembles a person's handwriting. We haven't included our picture on it but do use a company logo. It's surprising but also exciting how much of a response you can get from a mailer. 

As Jerryll mentioned, a website is also helpful if you are looking for motivated sellers. We purchased our through carrot.com and they provide a number of resources with your purchase, geared specifically for investors and realtors.  

Best wishes with whatever you decide to do! It is worth it and in today's market finding off market deals is the best way to go. 

@Corey Martin 

Sure thing! Ask away - my husband's name is @Benjamin Burket

@Corey Martin

Welcome to Bigger Pockets, Corey! I am newer to BP as well. My husband has been studying and investing in real estate the past four years so I learned some through him but in the past few weeks started my own journey of learning so I can assist him better. We have two rental properties (4 units between them) and flipped two homes in the past year so I am familiar with the renovation process at least! :) From my limited experience, REI is a lot of fun and definitely a good path to get going. Wish you the best in this coming year! :D

Hi Jack!

Sounds like you have a good path started for yourself. Not sure if I'll have any "new" information to offer you but saving, learning (podcasts, books, etc), and networking (join a REIA!) are some of the main things I'd suggest doing at this stage. Also, pay attention to the market in the areas you'll be looking so you can get a feel for how properties are selling. Then when you're ready to buy you'll have an idea of how quickly you need to move to purchase one. Practice running numbers on homes to see what it will cost to rehab and how your return is going to look. You could even start to test the waters and find off market deals to wholesale if that appealed to you. Wholesaling would be a shorter commitment time and may lead to some valuable connections over time.

Good luck with whatever you decide to do! It's an exciting journey to be on. 

We like Sherwin Williams Agreeable Grey or Eider White. Agreeable Grey has good gray/tan tones to it and Eider white is a really light grey that looks almost white until you hold white next to it. Nice options if you wanted to go a different direction than white/beige.