Flipping Houses - Attracting Sellers

Want to start flipping houses in your local area? First and foremost, to be a successful real estate investor / arbitrageur (house flipper), you have to start with yourself... just like almost all businesses. That's what I did - I worked on myself first. Then I studied with the best coaches I could find, and had a great real estate mentor holding my hand as I learned how to flip houses.

Reading is important. Don't like to read? Get over it! You need to read to learn about your craft if you want to be successful in the house-flipping or any business. At least half your reading needs to be on marketing, real estate, and copywriting. Always be reading at least one book on motivation and inspiration, too. Personal development cannot be understated.

You must develop the knowledge, tools, and resources to do this business right, and you, too, need a mentor. No one can be highly successful in the house flipping business by flying solo!

You need systems to generate a steady stream of leads, and to evaluate the deals from a buyer's standpoint. The Maestro developed a marketing and total business system, and repeatedly proved the system works over the course of four years of successful house flipping before starting his coaching. That was during the housing crisis and over-supply of recent years in Tampa and throughout the US, yet the system worked in all the changing market conditions. So it will work where you are, too... if you don't cut corners... and if you work.

Now you're ready to attract the Sellers...

How did the Sellers get in such distress that they would sell at wholesale? That they would take a deep discount on the house price from a real estate wholesaler?

1. Job losses and consumer and mortgage debt over-extension are rampant. . Of course, the natural tendency of homeowners is to try to work it out... as they sink deeper and deeper into trouble. As the bankers start screaming and they fall consistently into 90-day delinquency, the homeowners call you... now their savior.

2. Divorce, death, job transfer, or nightmare rental property with deadbeat and destructive renters can provide ample motivation for other owners to sell, just to make "it" go away!

Now, how do you, the real estate wholesaler, find these properties?

You don't. The Sellers find you.

How? You have to have a good marketing plan, catchy slogans, and consistent implementation - so you are seen "everywhere" and remembered when the time comes.

It's a numbers game. You have to be a marketer first and foremost. The more leads you generate, then the more offers you make. The more offers you make on houses, the more properties you'll get under contract. The more contracts you have, the more assignments you can make to buyers... and the more money you can make. That means you need to start with lots of leads... and build up to 100 per month.

Sure your marketing plan will get refined as you gain more experience in your market, but there are some common ingredients you don't want to miss - like those below. They attract pre-qualified Sellers like a magnet!

You need to get as much of these as possible in as many locations and hands as possible. Numbers, baby, numbers! It's not brain surgery, but it does take some diligence on your part... so just do it!

We can only scratch the surface here - but there's lots of detail on these marketing pieces, what they should say and where to get them, in my digital house flipping books.

Branding Yourself - It's brand advertising, but not like the stodgy corporations. You have to get attention, be remarkable and memorable, and create an image of trust. You'll want to design a flashy logo using bright colors, and get a telephone number they will remember. Then you must present it all simply, compactly, where eyeballs can pick it up in an instant. Your conversions will increase many times over if you also include a call to action - such as CALL NOW! You want to be the one who the Seller calls when he's finally ready to deal!

What marketing materials should you use?
Here are the basics:

Business Cards - You'll want to pass brightly colored business cards to everyone! One side should have your name, email, telephone and website. But the other side should have phrases that make your target audience identify, saying, "yes, that's me!" and your call to action - CALL NOW!

Flyers - Like the business cards, these should be bright, succinct, and draw your target Sellers in. The key is to place them in highly visible locations such as community bulletin boards. You'll also want to share a supply of them with professionals such as realtors and mortgage brokers who can't handle distressed properties. They will be happy to pass the leads on to you, especially if you offer a referral fee.

Bandit Signs - Place these signs at busy intersections on busy weekends in your target neighborhoods, and you'll attract both Sellers and Buyers. Bandit signs are extremely effective in getting leads for the house flipping business.

Outside Leads - You can hire and train "bird dogs" to bring you leads, just offering perhaps a 10% commission for referrals you close. It only costs you a little training time. It's also highly effective to use a professional lead generation company, who's already tested what works and what doesn't. The cost is only a small fraction of the profit from a single deal.

Online Classified Ads - Online classifieds pull very well today, as everyone is going online. Your ad will be short and to the point, much like your business card. Just follow the "K.I.S.S." principle, and be sure to include your call to action.

Local Newspaper Classifieds - Neighborhood papers can be far better targeted than general circulation newspapers, and their classifieds are frequently free. If so, you can reach a targeted audience in the neighborhoods where you want to do business, and with little or no cost. Give it a try

Direct Mail - This tried and true direct marketing technique is highly effective in the house flipping business. I personally like postcards. You can generate a customized list of prospects at services such as Realquest.com, and it's well worth the money - or hire a direct mail company to do it all for you. They have it down to a science!

Other Marketing Techniques - There are many more marketing methods that work in this wholesale real estate business, but there's no room here to go into them. The resources, sample wording, and checklists in my house flipping books will help you attract those Sellers.

Before you can make an offer, you must evaluate the deal from the buyer's perspective, and know to whom you will market such a property. This is a wholesaling business, not retail real estate, so your offer will be a wholesale price.

You are purchasing a distressed property at a price that permits you to make a profit spread in matching up needy sellers with hungry buyers. Your buyers will be the ones to carry the inventory, do the rehab labor (and cost), and resell the property in the retail market. You have none of those stresses - and don't even have to negotiate with banks! Your contract assignment means you don't have to put up the cash, either. You're a match-maker.

But the real question is, "How do I get low offers accepted by the sellers?"

The clearest answer is among the many great "Quick Flip Tips" in house flipping videos and text on www.AndrewMassaro.com - the blog of Tampa's #1 wholesale real estate coach for house flipping beginners - particularly in the video: Flipping Houses - Get Your Low Offers Accepted Every Time.

Here is the video from the house flipping YouTube Channel of "TheMaestro75".
Enjoy! ... Now go get some contracts, and make some money!

Get The Ultimate Beginner's Guide To Real Estate Wholesale,
Quick Flips And Fast Cash:
A Moron's Guide To Flipping Houses
and BONUS companion book,
"Raining Cash: The Maestro's Advanced Guide to Windfall Profits Flipping Houses Despite Market Conditions."

Includes real estate training, sample checklists, actual documents, systems and tools for all phases of house flipping.