All Forum Posts by: Dev Horn

Nope, they do not work.  I like to roll up to my appointments with them on, for branding purposes.  But they do not generate leads.  I've seen this with multiple brands and many years.  =)

 That's some good stuff there, Bill.  I totally agree.

Check with your county to see if you can find CODE VIOLATIONS and TAX LIENS on multi-family properties.  Those are the early warning signs of a property in trouble.

I believe you can legally (not an atty, not legal advice), but once you advertise it you'll need to show it to prospects while at war with the current tenant.  I doubt they will "help" you, and more likely could sabotage your efforts by leaving it messy or making a scene.

My gut feel is to get them out of there before showing it.  Perhaps you can advertise to set up appointments in advance, but the eviction process will still be underway and things could get weird if you try to rush this.

 Honestly, I don't really know.  For that campaign we just decided to use primary colors on black because I thought it "popped".  =)  But those cards word for us (with repeated mailings and all the other things we know about direct mail strategy...).

I think your messaging is pretty good.  But many of the absentee owned homes are not rent houses.  Many of them are inherited houses, and may just be vacant.  Check this page to see some of the absentee postcards we use, especially the 3rd one on this page which deals with problem tenants OR the "hassle of maintaining a vacant property"....

I do like the pic of your dog and the tie-in to the line about being dog tired.  It's different and could result in people remembering you/your offer over others!  So, I'd say, don't be afraid to use elements like that.  I see that work quite often in local businesses.  We have a car dealer in D/FW that has a whole series of these GOOFY commercials with what I assume is the Sales Manager's dog.  I think the commercials are not that good, but here I am talking about them because I remember the dang dog!  (See his spot about mid-way down this page....).

You have it, in effect, listed. And you are offering the full 3% buyer's agent commission. My guess is your price is too high, or - in this limited inventory environment - you'd be getting showings and ultimately offer(s) via your current listing on HAR/MLS.

What we teach is to be a SOLUTION PROVIDER.  Have multiple ways to solve someone's real estate problem, even if that means referring them to a Realtor friend when you can't make a dime off the referral.  If you can buy, sell, list. lease option, owner finance, etc. etc it allows you to understand the client's problem and propose the best solutions for THEM, not you.  They see that you are not forcing them into one particular solution, and you don't care which way they go because you have a range of services that meet a range of needs.

I think when we go in and all we have is a low-ball cash offer, that will work 5% of the time.  Their is a HUGE opportunity to serve the 95% who are NOT going to sell their house at a 40% discount....

Ultimately, you have to have integrity and feel good about what you are doing.  If not, it's not what you should be doing...

"There can be no happiness if the things we believe in are different from the things we do." ~ Freya Stark

It would have to be the reverse of a Ponzi scheme.  In a ponzi, you give your $ to the scammer.  In this, they are apparently offering $ to you, at 0% interest.  Hhhmm.

The BBB icon link takes you to reviews for Seed Consulting aka Seed Capital.  The reviews appear to be positive.

I don't see enough to think it's a scam, but it sounds "too good to be true" which usually mean "good chance to get screwed".  But who knows - this could be legit.

@Gary Freidman how did you find these guys?

It matters what she has to prove her right to occupy the property.  We had this situation once and the squatters had a "rental agreement" supposedly with the elderly owner who had been put into a nursing home.  We knew that woman had not even been there when the squatters occupied the house.  They got a hold of a prior tenants rental agreement and made it look like they were the renters.  It was all B.S., but it took almost 2 years to get them out because they had they faked document.  In this case, the lady had a reverse mortgage and they foreclosed and the squatters were eventually run off.

It sounds like this could be similar if the crazy lady created the right set of bogus paperwork to back up her claims.  That could slow things down.  Hopefully not tho.

Regardless, I vote for Option 2.  =)