All Forum Posts by: Dom Battezzato

Very few investors succeed by cold calling, sending direct mailers, doing PPC, and other outbound strategies. And the ones that succeed, when I talk to them they are unhappy with how much time/money it takes even tho, they are successful in it. Why? Because this approach to building a business is exhausting and a complete needle in a haystack approach, success doesn't change that. They basically bought themselves another job. 

So my advice to new investors, set up a system so sellers can find you when they become motivated to sell their property. The best strategy and one that has worked for us for the past 7+ years is a website ranking high on google. Many people think this is expensive, but that's a common misconception. We haven't paid for a lead since we got our website up. We make sure that our website is converting 80 + percent of traffic. By doing this google will push your website higher in the rankings so even more motivated sellers can find you. For instance, we get 4-14 highly motivated seller leads per day. Just thought id rant on here because I hate to see investors spin their wheels on inbound approaches. 

Hey Lindsey, I live in San Diego and know the market well. I recommend getting a website so that when sellers become motivated to sell their property they can find you online. These are the best leads in my opinion because they come to you and they want to sell their property to you. 

In my opinion, the hardest part about starting out in Real Estate Investing is the bloodline to the business GENERATING MOTIVATED SELLER LEADS. I have done it all; I am curious to hear some creative ways people get motivated leads on here? 

All start, I've heard about using your mail person since they walk so many neighborhoods and give them a fee of the deal for finding distressed houses. Crazy Idea 

So I was taught in Real Estate in order to get leads get these lists of motivated sellers and get to work getting in front of them, cold calling or sending direct mailers. But if they are truly motivated why is the conversion rate so low. I kept hearing its a numbers game but never asked does it have to be a numbers game? True at some level it does but do the numbers have to be so low. I am converting 4%-3% can the conversion rate be higher? Then I started asking WHY? WHY? WHY? 

I find this data interesting. We are getting 4-12 highly motivated inbound leads daily from our website (other than the cost to set up the website) these leads are relatively free. For every 3 seller appointments, we go to we are closing 1/3 with homeowners. This means we don't spend any money on direct mailers, cold calling, driving for dollars, or buying lists of foreclosures, absentee owners, death in the family, free and clear, 65+, code violations etc. 

So overall, we are getting 150-200 leads a month. Out of all the leads last month we got, 1 was a foreclosure, and 2 were absentee. The rest of the motivated seller leads we got were people who didn't want to deal with an agent,  didn't want open houses, and didn't want to put their house on the market. They wanted a below-market value offer out of convenience and were willing to sell leaving money on the table. 

The point is if these motivated lists truly contained motivated sellers wouldn't you conclude the leads we are getting would be a higher percentage of these types of sellers that are labeled as motivated. 

Now when I got started investing, I spent a lot of money and time on leads, this can work. Don't get me wrong. I know a lot of investors who have great success in this. But if I had to choose how I want to set my company up for the long term would I want the leads to come to me when I am not working daily vs trying to go after them?

John, That's great to hear! What market are you in? 

We are all saying the same thing in different ways. We do not cold call, so we have to build credibility the moment someone is on our site. We only have our website that brings us motivated sellers daily. Like you said it's about relationship building. Our leads either call us or fill out a survey. There's many ways to travel, do you walk, drive in a car or take a plane. So for us, we would rather sit back and have leads come to us than a cold call. So moral of the story I wish when I started I went straight to having a website rather than spend time and money door knocking, buying lists, bandit signs, cold calling, and direct mailers. 

You're right I don't care who I am selling to; I am an investor, not a motivated seller. 

It doesn't matter to me if a buyer has a website either (from an investor's point of few) but this is the mistake I see investors make. We must look it at from the perspective of someone who knows nothing about real estate, your everyday person who wants to sell their house. Now sure, motivated sellers sell their houses to cash buyers all the time without a website but I would rather be the one with a website that shows credibility. The reason I've been on both sides of the aisle and I know the data. I've seen which produces more. I've been barked at, the door slammed in my face, cursed at on the phone. 

Winston, if you google "who buys houses in Connecticut" and click on the first google website you will see our website. As a new investor create a website like so that shows the value and is inviting from the perspective of your everyday person who is motivated to sell their house. How does it look, how does it feel, are the pictures raw and organic

I am an absentee owner. I get direct mailers daily from cash buyers. I had a conversation with a cash buyer today and they asked me "what would you sell your property for?" My number was way over fair market value. He seemed frustrated. So I asked him "why would you think an absentee owner would be motivated to sell their property" Because that's what everyone says to do!! There is no list that targets motivated sellers. If there was then conversion rates wouldn't be 4%-3% 

Then I asked him if he has a website, but he didn't. Why would I sell my house to someone who cold calls me, sends me a letter, and doesn't even have a website so I can see who I am selling my property to? The moral of the story, if you rank #1 on google in your market you will get all the leads so why spend money and TIME cold calling, direct mailing, or driving for dollars. Make the investment into your website and have motivated sellers to come to you! 

Who has build out their website with SEO for Real Estate Investors w/ Jerryll Noorden and his team?