Real estate has come a long way in the last few decades and technology has made it much easier for people to sell their homes. There are so many hidden places where you can find great real estate that you can use for investment property. If you are tired of looking in the same places as everyone else then keep reading to see some of the best-hidden places and apps to find investment properties.
1) Check out Facebook
While many people use Facebook for posting photos of their kids or connecting with old friends, some use it primarily as a marketplace. There are plenty of pages and groups on Facebook for sellers to connect with buyers. There are also some great hidden places on Facebook where you can advertise or look at others who are interested in selling.
Facebook groups that are unrelated to real estate but related to your area (local buy and sell, local ‘happening” groups, local parent groups, etc) are a great way to find people who are thinking about selling but aren’t ready to talk to a realtor in a professional capacity. These groups often have posts where sellers are asking things like “what are the best areas in town to live?” or “what are the schools like over here” and you can help them out while introducing yourself as a local real estate buyer. This is a fantastic way to find new properties that might not even be on the market.
2) Ask around
It never hurts to ask a property owner if they are considering selling sometime soon but there is a polite way to do it. Approaching a property owner via email is the best way to contact them in a professional manner. If you know of a property that is in a great area, do your research on the owner and send them a message to let them know you’re interested.
If you are unable to email the property owner or they don’t respond then you can make an attempt to call them personally. If you are still unable to contact them then ask the current tenants to pass on your business card so they can contact you on their own. Mail should only be reserved for outbound marketing campaigns which is the next thing we will talk about.
3) Cast your net
Outbound marketing is a great way to attract people who have never even considered selling their properties. You can use many different ways but the most common ones are usually mass marketing campaigns through the mail and advertising around the area you’re looking to purchase.
For a mail campaign, make a flyer or pamphlet that introduces yourself and your intentions. Make sure all of your contact information is correct and placed in easy-to-find areas. If you are doing any sort of advertising, make sure you are promoting yourself as a great property owner that people will be able to trust and rely on.
4) Keep up with the times
We already talked about Facebook but there are always new and interesting social media platforms that are becoming more popular every day. Tik Tok has become the place to be for many companies and you can use their short video format to your advantage. The app relies on algorithms and trends but still allows you to search for content that is similar to yours.
Creating engagement involves following the trends but relating them to your niche so you can make your own videos to attract sellers or just browse other people’s videos on your own. Try a fun video about having excellent renters or a video showcasing a flip you did to one of your properties. You can search hashtags like #sellingourhome or #houseforsale to see videos of other people’s homes, sometimes before they even list them.
5) Check every source
Anyone who wants to privately sell their property will post it in as many places online as possible to catch everyone they can so make sure you check unconventional sources. Look at local swap sites like craigslist for people listing their properties for sale.
Another great place to check is local foreclosure postings. Many smaller towns post their foreclosure listings on a specific part of their city’s website or their town’s newspaper. Check these sites as often as you can to keep up with properties that might come at an amazing price.
6) Make some friends
Real estate agents are your best friends when it comes to finding investment properties in the area. If you make friends with some of the local agents then they will be able to let you know about potential investment properties as soon as they can. They have some of the best knowledge when it comes to what will end up a worthwhile investment.
Many agents prefer to have a property investor on their side to help them with properties that might need a bit more work than others. The more people you know, the better and it’s a good idea to introduce yourself to some of the larger local agents if you move to a new area.
Real estate has started to move strictly online so there are plenty of fantastic places you can find investment properties. Some websites and apps allow you to set alerts so you can get notified of properties right away. Take advantage of as many of these features as you can to make sure you’re the first one to know about properties that might be perfect for you.
