[Online & Offline Marketing] How I made $35,000 from a Foreclosure | Step By Step

[greenovni]

Hello all. It's been a while since I posted a step by step for you guys. Today we will be talking about our sucky economy, real estate foreclosures, online marketing and things we can do to make money.

We all know that our economy is going to hell and foreclosures are at an all time high. This situation opens the doors for a few smart people to follow new paths towards financial independence.

All it takes is a little bit of work and creativity to get started.

Here we go.

Not too long ago I was researching all of the houses & lands that were going in foreclosure for non payment of taxes and found 17 properties that did not owe a mortgage, federal liens or any other liens besides taxes.

I proceeded to send letters (Carleton Sheets Style) to the owners informing them that their property was going in foreclosure and that I really hoped they could save their property (which I really did) but that if they were not planning on saving their property for any reason, I would be interested in taking it off their hands.

The letters are designed to inform them that their property is going in foreclosure because a lot of the times these people are not aware that they are.

The government sends them a letter to their last registered address and a lot of the times the owners have moved.

The second part of the letter says that I wish that they could save their property which I really do.

Third part of the letter says that I have the money to go bid on their property right now but I would feel awful always knowing that their house was foreclosed on specially if they did not know anything about it.

Fourth part is my offer. Usually $500 - $1,000 bucks for their deed and I would also pay the outstanding taxes. (That way they at least would get something)

I also include a self address stamped envelope & a quit claim deed already filled out so all they have to do is go to a notary to sign and return.

From the tons of letters I sent, I received 3 back.

2 of them wanted way too much for their properties (which sold at auction for a lot less)

1 of them was from a gentleman who was about to be deported. I met with the gentleman and he decided to take $1,100 in payment for a quit claim deed on the spot.

With the quit claim deed on hand, I then went to public records to register my new property.

Because the property changed hands, they had to stop the auction and INFORM everyone again that the house is going in foreclosure and the process takes 3 full months.

Now, here is the trick!

Since real estate is not selling (I tried)

I decided to let the house go to auction for non payment of taxes!!

The reason I did this is because I know that every single county anywhere in the United States will cut you a check for any overbids.

What this means is that anything over what the government is owed comes back to the owner on record.

In my case, The house owed $7,000 in taxes & sold for $42,000 (I'll tell you how in a minute)

Internet Marketing

Since now I had 3 extra months I decided to market this ****ty house online.

I made a ton of image ads and used Easy Ad Poster to market the house all over Craigslist. When I say all over Craigslist I mean all over my state every day, 2 times a day for 3 months.

I also used wordpress and made a site for the house with all it's pictures and all of the information supplied by the state about the house including images of all the legal paperwork supplied by the state.

It was pretty easy to do since the state has all of the paperwork already scanned and turned into pdf.

I also set up an email address for the website itself.

The Auction

On auction day, I proceeded to go there early so I could talk to people and see how many of them were there for my property (To see if the marketing was good) and to my delight I had 43 people there for my house alone.

People that have never gone to an auction before but decided to go because everything they needed including auctions rules, methods of payments etc was already in the website I made.

My property goes on the auction block and people start bidding from the opening bid of $7,000 all the way to $42,000 in increments of $100 which made the auction look like it was taking forever.

Getting Paid

To get paid all I had to do was fill out a W-9 and Affidavit of ownership with the state and wait for my check

Step-by-Step

1. Research tax deed sales online for your county
2. Send letters to owners & include a quit claim deed
3. Speak to the owners that are interested in your offer since they planned to let it go anyway
4. Decide what you will do with the property whether a regular sale or let it go to auction
5. Promote your property online like crazy
6. Attend the auction and see your property go
7. Go to public records and fill out papers claiming your overbid
8. Wait 3 months for your check

There are a ton of ways to make money from this sucky economy. All you have to do is open your eyes and see the opportunities around you

[ExRat]

Hi,

Now THAT'S entrepreneurialism in a nutshell.

Thanks for sharing.

Anyone else got any 18 letter words to use?

[KarlWarren]

Here's an 18 letter....

holy****ings**tman!!!

Very very impressive stuff... I love stories like this.

[greenovni]

Thanks guys.

The post is designed to get your thinking caps on. There are a ton of ways to milk bad economies.

Here is an idea for those of you that can work with your hands for quick cash:

Go to public records and ask them where you can get a hold of the list of property owners who are getting fined by the government daily because their property is in disrepair.

Send letters to these owners which right now is mostly banks and offer your "Board up" service.

Meaning that you will board up with plywood the windows and doors, cut the grass and do some general cleanup so the house will stop receiving daily fines from the government.

Charge at least $1,000 in profit on every house and you're up and running

You will also help communities by closing these properties down and keep drug dealers, perverts, criminal elements etc from entering the property

[jasonl70]

I always enjoy your posts!

Question - wouldn't this effect your credit rating?

[greenovni]

Hi Jason Thanks for the compliment.

To answer your question, It does not affect your credit.

First it is a foreclosure for taxes and the government has no right to report it.

Second, since it is not a loan in any way, your social security number is not listed anywhere thus no reporting.

Now, I am trying to come up with a way I can do this with mortgage foreclosed properties but haven't been able to come up with the right method.

[Money Grows Online]

WOW. That's thinking outside the box.

[Tsnyder]

What state was this?

Tsnyder

[Bill Farnham]

You might want to check into your state laws before you go looking to do this with mortgaged properties.

What you did is known as 'equity stripping' and has been done to the point where some states are now aggressively going after folks who engage in this type of activity.

The worst case I am aware of is the Washington State AAG who is going after Joe Kaiser with a vengance. Joe has been doing this stuff for years and the AAG has gone over the top trying to crucify Joe.

If you go to Joe's blog www.pushedtoshove.com you can see he has been cronicaling this mess for a long time.

If you go read Joe's blog don't be fooled into thinking that "well he's leaving the seller in the house" and that's different than what I'm doing. He got his butt in a sling doing the same thing you just did.

Just be careful, this game has been around long enough to bite back. Study your state laws intimately and stay below the radar. All it takes is one case of sellers' remorse to put you on the map. Joe didn't even have that. He just had a pattern of collecting checks and the government boys got wise.

Stay smart,

KJ

[crystalq]

That's some Donald Trump shizz right there! That's awesome!!!

[greenovni]

KillerJoe Thanks for the tip. I am learning as much as i can and will be talking to a lawyer this week to make sure I stay safe.

Crystalq

[greenovni]

KillerJoe Thanks for the tip. I am learning as much as i can and will be talking to a lawyer this week to make sure I stay safe.

Crystalq

[MaskedMarketer]

This is a good idea and I posted an exact step by step method just like this.

Getting over bids can be done with Foreclosures and Tax Liens, but you can't do it in every state and county for Tax Liens. Billions of dollars go unclaimed in the RE industry and my friend is doing a 15 million mailing and will net no less than 300k. It has potential.

-----
Heres how he does it with Tax Liens:

1. You need to pick a county that allows the homeowner to collect the overbid.

2. You need to get a list from the county which tells you which homeowner is owed money. (from the tax auction)

3. You need to find the person (current address and phone number).

4. You need to call them or mail them a letter or post card stating they are owed 45k (or whatever amount it is)

5. You collect the money and take a 25%-33% cut. After you get proper paper work. Getting a 100k overbid is not unreal and you can make 25k -33k on one deal.
--------

This method can make you rich. And I doubt one single person on this forum will take action on it. RE is booming right now if you know how do it correctly.

I work with 8-10 figure net worth indivduals that all made there money from investing in real estate.

You can still sell homes quickly if you know how- one of my friends coaching students netted 200k from selling a foreclosed home in only 1 day.

Unlike internet marketing where you dont necessary need a plan.. In real estate investing you can lose your shirt if you dont plan it out and focus..

Many millionaires and billionaires will be made over the coming years because of this situation. Internet marketing is a great stepping stone to make money and REI is a great way to build your wealth even faster.

Thanks for the great tip. The way I mention it, you don't need to buy, look, or own the property. All you do is find "unclaimed" money- and there is BILLIONS out there.

In an economy like this I would focus on internet to make money, RE, and gold is also a good investment. Those in the corporate world will feel the crunch the most.

[greenovni]

MaskedMarketer

I started receiving those letters the very next day after foreclosure and it was obvious what was happening.

I am waiting to talk to a lawyer this week to see how that is set up.

[MaskedMarketer]

Originally Posted by greenovni

MaskedMarketer

I started receiving those letters the very next day after foreclosure and it was obvious what was happening.

I am waiting to talk to a lawyer this week to see how that is set up.

Getting into REI you should consult a lawyer prior before doing any work.

A power team can also help, but may not always be necessary. Let us know how it works out.

[greenovni]

I am consulting the lawyer this week coming up.

Thanks for the tips

[Angela V. Edwards]

Originally Posted by greenovni

Hi Jason Thanks for the compliment.

To answer your question, It does not affect your credit.

First it is a foreclosure for taxes and the government has no right to report it.

Second, since it is not a loan in any way, your social security number is not listed anywhere thus no reporting.

Now, I am trying to come up with a way I can do this with mortgage foreclosed properties but haven't been able to come up with the right method.

You could purchase the properties that are going into foreclosure and then turn around and RENT them to the previous owners. I know some scam companies do this, but I also know a person personally who was able to stay in his house because of such a plan.

Then, you'd have rental investment income.

[greenovni]

Hi Angela

I am not a RE person and this particular thing I did was to test the waters. Not sure how i would be as a landlord since I do not have the patience for it.

It is a good idea and if I am ever able to help someone like that, I will.

[MaskedMarketer]

Originally Posted by Angela V. Edwards

You could purchase the properties that are going into foreclosure and then turn around and RENT them to the previous owners. I know some scam companies do this, but I also know a person personally who was able to stay in his house because of such a plan.

Then, you'd have rental investment income.

That might be a bad idea.

Purchasing a house and renting it to the same owner sounds like a potential bad investment. If they couldn't afford to pay taxes or there mortgage, what makes you think they would be a good tenant?

Plus, if you buy the home from them you would need a loan or cash. The method outlined above requires little money and you do not need to own or operate a home AND you can net 500k- 1m+ a year (selling money)..

I would be very careful with tenants that cant pay there mortgage, bills, or taxes. Thats a good way to lose an investment property, happens all the time to inexperienced investors.

[Chris_King]

Wow, thats awesome. Thanks for the info!

[Angela V. Edwards]

VERY good point. The person I know had that situation, too...there was a time when he was behind on the rent, too. He had a "3 day pay or vacate" taken out on him; apparently he was able to rustle up the money, because he stayed in his house. This would probably be tough if this sort of thing isn't your forte, but someone who specializes in investment properties; especially in high rent areas, this might be a good income for them.

Originally Posted by MaskedMarketer

That might be a bad idea.

Purchasing a house and renting it to the same owner sounds like a potential bad investment. If they couldn't afford to pay taxes or there mortgage, what makes you think they would be a good tenant?

Plus, if you buy the home from them you would need a loan or cash. The method outlined above requires little money and you do not need to own or operate a home AND you can net 500k- 1m+ a year (selling money)..

I would be very careful with tenants that cant pay there mortgage, bills, or taxes. Thats a good way to lose an investment property, happens all the time to inexperienced investors.

[Thomas Belknap]

Originally Posted by Angela V. Edwards

You could purchase the properties that are going into foreclosure and then turn around and RENT them to the previous owners. I know some scam companies do this, but I also know a person personally who was able to stay in his house because of such a plan.

Then, you'd have rental investment income.

Very bad idea. There are a lot of problems that can arise if the people stop making payments and you try to get them out.

First, the purchase can be nulled by the courts. The courts has a tendency to see this as more of a loan than a purchase. They can give the previous owners back the house and qualify the transaction as a loan.

It gets worst if it is claimed to be a loan.

Depending on how much money you would have made on the transaction, it can be considered as rackateering if it is higher than the legally allowed interest rate. Then you are in deep doo-doo.


There are a lot of people doing these types of transactions but it isn't something I would recommend.

[Bill Farnham]

I agree with MM. It's a bad idea in spite of the few (very few) examples where it has worked.

Lots of emotional baggage down the road, rarely proves out to be a good deal for either party.

Before I seriously attemped renting back to the old owners I would have someone drop a 16# bowling ball from a ten foot ladder onto my bare foot while it was propped up on a cast iron anvil.

If I liked that, then I would probably like having the old owners as tennants.

I'm not saying that's the only way to test your resolve here. Attempting the Heimlich Manoeuvre on a grizzly bear might work, as well.

Look, all I'm saying is you want to work your way up to those kind of catastrophes. No sense in doing anything foolish without some preparation.

KJ

[MaskedMarketer]

Hey Angela,

Sometimes people want to "help" another person by doing this type of investment. Maybe this makes someone feel good, but investment properties must have serious research for the laws about tenants and you have to really pick the right tenant if you have an investment property.

If its your investment property, as you know, you are responsible for the payments whether the tenant pays or not. And sometimes you can't kick someone out depending on the laws in the area. So if someone doesnt pay up for 6 months, if you cant afford it, your credit will get shot, possibly lose the home or bankruptcy. It could get ugly. I see it happen all the time.

Real Estate investing is probably one of the best ways to accumulate wealth, but its a serious business you must plan, focus, and put time into it, but the rewards are very high paying once you've accomplished it...

Lets see what the OP comes back with...

[AndrewCavanagh]

Absolutely brilliant post.

There's a small element of risk but not unacceptable and I love the way you combine the online marketing to pump up your profits.

I can also see how you could use this online method of craigslist posts to sell any property.

That could be a service many internet marketers could offer to real estate agents.

Kindest regards,
Andrew Cavanagh

[greenovni]

Hey Andrew, Long time no see. Hope everything is going good in your neck of the woods.

To answer everyone else, I do not think renting the properties will be good in my situation.

I spoke to a lawyer yesterday about "equity stripping" and I was told that as long as I tell the owner of the property that I might or might not make a substantial profit on the deal, I should be ok.

I received another title in the mail yesterday to vacant land. The note included with the deed said "I want nothing to do with this **** I inherited"

Property is about 5 minutes from the beach so I'm not sure what I will be doing with it yet.

Marketing the property on CL was great. The amount of reads of the ads was very high so whenever I get more properties, if I do, that is the way to go.

I am also setting up more ads for CL offering the boarding up of foreclosed properties service. Will let you know how that goes.

[IMChick]

Originally Posted by greenovni

I spoke to a lawyer yesterday about "equity stripping" and I was told that as long as I tell the owner of the property that I might or might not make a substantial profit on the deal, I should be ok.
.

Absolutely brilliant post. Thank you for sharing this with us.

While Equity stripping is tricky (read: borderline illegal or illegal in your state), your lawyer should be able to draft something quickly to protect you. If you make sure that you get that owner notification in writing, The deal isn't unwound by a Court after you spent the profits.

[Ian Jackson]

Hi

Fascinating.

Please, is there a UK equivalent of this? i.e. in layman's terminology, applicable for the UK market.

Thanks

Ian

Originally Posted by greenovni

Hello all. It's been a while since I posted a step by step for you guys. Today we will be talking about our sucky economy, real estate foreclosures, online marketing and things we can do to make money.

We all know that our economy is going to hell and foreclosures are at an all time high. This situation opens the doors for a few smart people to follow new paths towards financial independence.

All it takes is a little bit of work and creativity to get started.

Here we go.

Not too long ago I was researching all of the houses & lands that were going in foreclosure for non payment of taxes and found 17 properties that did not owe a mortgage, federal liens or any other liens besides taxes.

I proceeded to send letters (Carleton Sheets Style) to the owners informing them that their property was going in foreclosure and that I really hoped they could save their property (which I really did) but that if they were not planning on saving their property for any reason, I would be interested in taking it off their hands.

The letters are designed to inform them that their property is going in foreclosure because a lot of the times these people are not aware that they are.

The government sends them a letter to their last registered address and a lot of the times the owners have moved.

The second part of the letter says that I wish that they could save their property which I really do.

Third part of the letter says that I have the money to go bid on their property right now but I would feel awful always knowing that their house was foreclosed on specially if they did not know anything about it.

Fourth part is my offer. Usually $500 - $1,000 bucks for their deed and I would also pay the outstanding taxes. (That way they at least would get something)

I also include a self address stamped envelope & a quit claim deed already filled out so all they have to do is go to a notary to sign and return.

From the tons of letters I sent, I received 3 back.

2 of them wanted way too much for their properties (which sold at auction for a lot less)

1 of them was from a gentleman who was about to be deported. I met with the gentleman and he decided to take $1,100 in payment for a quit claim deed on the spot.

With the quit claim deed on hand, I then went to public records to register my new property.

Because the property changed hands, they had to stop the auction and INFORM everyone again that the house is going in foreclosure and the process takes 3 full months.

Now, here is the trick!

Since real estate is not selling (I tried)

I decided to let the house go to auction for non payment of taxes!!

The reason I did this is because I know that every single county anywhere in the United States will cut you a check for any overbids.

What this means is that anything over what the government is owed comes back to the owner on record.

In my case, The house owed $7,000 in taxes & sold for $42,000 (I'll tell you how in a minute)

Internet Marketing

Since now I had 3 extra months I decided to market this ****ty house online.

I made a ton of image ads and used Easy Ad Poster to market the house all over Craigslist. When I say all over Craigslist I mean all over my state every day, 2 times a day for 3 months.

I also used wordpress and made a site for the house with all it's pictures and all of the information supplied by the state about the house including images of all the legal paperwork supplied by the state.

It was pretty easy to do since the state has all of the paperwork already scanned and turned into pdf.

I also set up an email address for the website itself.

The Auction

On auction day, I proceeded to go there early so I could talk to people and see how many of them were there for my property (To see if the marketing was good) and to my delight I had 43 people there for my house alone.

People that have never gone to an auction before but decided to go because everything they needed including auctions rules, methods of payments etc was already in the website I made.

My property goes on the auction block and people start bidding from the opening bid of $7,000 all the way to $42,000 in increments of $100 which made the auction look like it was taking forever.

Getting Paid

To get paid all I had to do was fill out a W-9 and Affidavit of ownership with the state and wait for my check

Step-by-Step

1. Research tax deed sales online for your county
2. Send letters to owners & include a quit claim deed
3. Speak to the owners that are interested in your offer since they planned to let it go anyway
4. Decide what you will do with the property whether a regular sale or let it go to auction
5. Promote your property online like crazy
6. Attend the auction and see your property go
7. Go to public records and fill out papers claiming your overbid
8. Wait 3 months for your check

There are a ton of ways to make money from this sucky economy. All you have to do is open your eyes and see the opportunities around you

[Bruce NewMedia]

Green thats an EXCELLENT post!.....agree with others that you do need to be careful with overbids in some states. Using an experienced lawyer and having the owner sign documents stating that he was informed you intend to make a profit off the transaction (duh!) and full disclosure is key,

Joe Kaiser's experience is unusual tho. In Washington state they've decided to make an example out of him, tho he's apparently done nothing wrong and has no complaints against him.

The comment about taking over property and then RENTING to former owner is too risky. Plus, in some forms its outlawed in certain states. And even if it weren't, often big problems with former owners (now tenants) will develop.

AS far as the vacant piece you just got for free, check out Jack Bosch's course, LandForPennies. He sells vacant parcels all over America thru Ebay and other means. Lately he sells many as seller financed, so he can get a good price and lots of buying interest!
_______
Bruce

[Jose Delgado]

Two Words:

DAMN INTERESTING!

This is a Great Post Green!

[greenovni]

IMChick: I am having something drafter by the lawyer

iciejay: The people I know in the UK tell me that the public records up there suck. I have never been there but I would imagine that it is the same. The government can't keep the overbids as they were not owed that extra money.

brucerby: The vacant land was not completely free. The owner gets a few dollars + I pay the outstanding taxes. I am thinking of keeping this one for myself since I love the beach and it is really close to it.

Jose Delgado: Esa es la propiedad que te habia dicho que se estaba por ir en foreclosure Love the new avatar!

tallestman: Thanks!


I will have some CL ads done for tomorrow, maybe you guys could give me your opinions of them when I post them.

[oleskool]

This post is very interesting, sparks an idea on how to make money using both online and off-line methods.

A lot of people are wary of the RE market right now but this is the time to make some money. A person that invests right now in this down market will be set when the fog clears.

[Jose Delgado]

Si me acuerdo.

Que no abias dicho que estabas teniendo problemas con alguien por eso?

Lol. Avatar looks good huh.

[greenovni]

Jose Delgado: Arregle esa mierda los otros dias

[Mike Hill]

I live in Canada and don't know how this works in the US but wouldn't the non-payment and foreclosure go against you now that you are the new owner.

Does that go against your borrowing power now that you have a foreclosure on your record?

Mike Hill

[greenovni]

To answer your question, It does not affect your credit.

First it is a foreclosure for taxes and the government has no right to report it.

Second, since it is not a loan in any way, your social security number is not listed anywhere thus no reporting.

Originally Posted by Mike Hill

I live in Canada and don't know how this works in the US but wouldn't the non-payment and foreclosure go against you now that you are the new owner.

Does that go against your borrowing power now that you have a foreclosure on your record?

Mike Hill

In this case, he wouldn't be affected by the foreclosure. Remember this: The property and the loan(or lien) are separate.

When the house was quit claimed over to him, the only thing that was transferred was the title. Not the loan. The burden of the loan remained with the seller. Don't forget, he didn't obtain a loan to buy the house... it was quit claimed over to him.

I've been flipping property here in California for the past 5 years. And, this method of buying property is considered buying the the property "subject to" which means, in other words, buying the property "subject to" the existing liens.

Loan assumption is another term for this but, it's used very loosely.

They scrutinize this practice heavily these days because many properties bought this way are done fraudulently.

This is not an illegal practice but, you have to be careful.

I've bought and flipped over 40 homes and I've made a ridiculous amount of money doing it.

So his claim of making $35,000 is very believable. I personally think that his money claim is refreshing. Why?

Well... me and a group of my real estate investor friends have an on going joke towards newbie investors. Many times newbie investors lie about the amount of money they make when they flip a house. Usually the magic number is always $100,000. Which is almost always a big fat lie.

Unless you get lucky, it takes a few times of going through the process before you can make $100,000 from a flip. I know because I've done it many times. In fact, I've made well over a million dollars flipping properties. Once you learn the entire process, it's not that hard.

peace...

[Frank Bruno]

If your going to market towards the unclaimed money aspect from over bids to the owners there are certain laws in states that mandate language disclosure in the contracts that you're going to need to use.

What often happens in this case is the owner realizes that they can go right around you and claim the money themselves.

Frank Bruno

[greenovni]

marcanthony In this particular case there was no loan at all. The house was free and clear. According to all the websites that give you house values like Real Estate Valuations, Homes for Sale, Free Real Estate Information | Zillow Real Estate the house was worth $116,000

I tried selling it in this market but had no luck so to auction it went and I used zillow as a "selling point" when advertising on craigslist.

The house has a $7,000 and some change tax bill and sold for $42,000 even thus the $35,000 profit.

I wish I could claim the magical "100,000" profit number but I can't

Maybe someday I will be able but this property was not the one.

Frank Bruno Yes, this is very true. People are wise to this. You should have seen the ton of letters I received offering the service to me the very next day after auction.

[MaskedMarketer]

Originally Posted by oleskool

A lot of people are wary of the RE market right now but this is the time to make some money. A person that invests right now in this down market will be set when the fog clears.

The only people that are wary ( and should be) are those with no or little experience or have little knowledge of the market. Different strategies are used to make money during an UP MARKET, then in a DOWN MARKET. Believe, many millionaires and billionaires will be made because of this. Its all about buying low and selling high, and NOW is the time to buy low.

You can also still sell very quickly- if you know how to market, advertise, and network.

Originally Posted by marcanthony

Well... me and a group of my real estate investor friends have an on going joke towards newbie investors. Many times newbie investors lie about the amount of money they make when they flip a house. Usually the magic number is always $100,000. Which is almost always a big fat lie.

Unless you get lucky, it takes a few times of going through the process before you can make $100,000 from a flip. I know because I've done it many times. In fact, I've made well over a million dollars flipping properties. Once you learn the entire process, it's not that hard.

peace...

Yeah, and if you want a way to make 100k-200k+ per flip, look into foreclosures right now. (depending on location)

Me and my associates are getting 100k together, to buy foreclosures from these struggling banks. After the 3rd quarter you can find banks BEGGING you to take there properties CHEAP. Especially right now- THANK YOU mortgage crisis, credit crisis, and failing banks..

Since they need to liquidate there stuff. And since you only need 5% down we'll get about 8-10 Million (FMV) (more or less) worth of property for only 100k(just an estimate based on past transactions).

To get an idea of how cheaply you can get a property. The last student my friend coached, he got a property at 12.5% of Fair Market Value. Sold it the very same day for 200k profit to another investor who fixes houses up. Buying low and selling to another INVESTOR is a quick way to get the property off your hands.

Originally Posted by Frank Bruno

If your going to market towards the unclaimed money aspect from over bids to the owners there are certain laws in states that mandate language disclosure in the contracts that you're going to need to use.

What often happens in this case is the owner realizes that they can go right around you and claim the money themselves.

Frank Bruno

Thats why many don't get into RE or other aspects of the market. It does require research, but the pay off can be huge. My friend is making 300k+ like clockwork everytime he does an unclaimed money mailing. Sure there are negative aspects, but done correctly, its a money making machine

[braver55b]

Very impressive and with the foreclosure situation seeming to get worse, there should be even more opportunities to make a profit.

[greenovni]

MaskedMarketer Wanna PM me? I have some questions about the unclaimed $$ mailings

[Eric Johnson]

I may be missing the point here but this seems kinda cold to do to someone. Basically they are eligible to get 30k but don't know it...so you offer them a few k. Seems pretty crappy to do to someone.

How about go to owners and tell them you can get money for them but you will charge a commission. Granted you wont get as much money but won't you sleep a little better?

[MaskedMarketer]

Originally Posted by Eric Johnson

I may be missing the point here but this seems kinda cold to do to someone. Basically they are eligible to get 30k but don't know it...so you offer them a few k. Seems pretty crappy to do to someone.

How about go to owners and tell them you can get money for them but you will charge a commission. Granted you wont get as much money but won't you sleep a little better?

You can get them the money and take a commission. Or you can own the property for cheap, and get the unclaimed money.

Its not my fault these people cant pay there bills, taxes, or anything like that. Therefore, as investors, we find an opportunity and go with it. Hopefully its win/ win- but I want to make the biggest profit possible.

Do you think its fair the counties hold Billions of dollars of peoples money and don't bother to find them now? After a certain amount of time, that money goes to the county and the homeowner will never know about it.

[greenovni]

Eric Johnson I am here to make the most profit per deal whether IM, real estate or collecting cans.

The owner of the particular property I made this money from was deported from our country, so it was either what I gave him or nothing. He was happy with the deal since he could not afford to pay the taxes owed.

[Eric Johnson]

Not hatin on you or anything...Just something that I wouldn't be comfortable doing.

With the deportation thing, that is different obviously.

[Gary Huynh]

I'm quite surprised that someone who owns a house free and clear can only make $1,100 from it. In this case, ignorance cost him a LOT of money.

On another topic, if someone offered me to help me find owed money from the government for a 25% cut, I'd say thank you for letting me know. Then I'd contact a lawyer and pay him much less to show me how to get that money.

[cashcorpinc]

Another strategy-

1) Find ANY seller with equity who wants to sell. (Doesn't have to be extremely motivated)
2) Negotiate a low but believabe price. As low as you and your consience will allow.
3) Option to Purchase the property for your low negotiated price.
4) Market the property and sell it for more than step 3.
5) Collect the difference at closing for your interest in the property.

That's what I do, and that's what I teach. I teach my clients how to sell properties in 7 days, and then how to capitalize on that skill by Optioning and selling properties without ever owning them.

We're all marketers- this just cuts out all the garbage of "dealing with" the properties.

I've done about 120 deals just like this- biggest check was $124,000. All the benefits of real estate investing but without- tenants, rehabs, financing of any kind, borrowing money, cleaning, landscaping, etc.

[cashcorpinc]

Sorry- i forgot this- equity skimming only applies to mortgage foreclosures.

In this case, there was no mortgage, and the owner had already sold the property and had no further liability.

Equity skimming largely comes from people who get a deed and never make up the payments. In this case, there are no payments.

Hate to give up the cashflow from a property that i bought for $8K total, though!

[greenovni]

Gary Huynh He had bought the house with the intention of getting his citizenship papers which did not happen. He was deported shortly after.

cashcorpinc The problem is, will it work with this economy considering that people are not getting morgages?

cashcorpinc I was informed the same from my lawyer. I also was not looking for cash flo, I needed the lump sum