A question for those of you who call on vacant and ugly houses that you've found while driving around. What types of things are you saying to people when you call about their property? By this I mean, how do you get the point across that you noticed it may be vacant or in need of repair without causing them to raise their guard? I haven't had any serious problems with this yet, but I do get more angry and/or confused owners than I would like. On one hand, you need to let them know there is a reason you are calling and that you are interested in the house. However, you don't want to say, "Well sir, I noticed that your house on 123 Main St needs a lot of work and the lawn hasn't been cut in at least a month. I think the house is really ugly....do you want to sell it?" I think most of us would get at least a little offended if someone called us and told us our house looked like crap. Has anyone come up with anything a little more subtle that keeps the owner at ease but still gets the point across? As always, thanks for the help and have a great day :)
I have a friend that takes a picture of the property, prints a post card with the picture on it, sends it to the owner with the question “Is this your house? Would you be interested in selling it?”, and then gives contact information. It doesn’t say anything about how bad the property looks or how much work needs to be done, just that she is interested in buying the property. No confrontation, no disparaging inuendos, no "you should have done this or that. Just I want to buy, do you want to sell.
But I think you may get a better response other than embarrassing the owner of his house. If he likes you and trusts you he will sell to you - if he wants to sell.
You can try something like : i was driving around and have fallen in love with your house every time i pass it. It would be perfect for me, my daughter, my buddies son and new wife - whatever. If perhaps you may be interested in selling it I’d sure appreciate getting a look at it. It would be perfect for us,them, whatever.
That’s a good question Matt. On Friday (3/25/05), I too drive by a disaster of a house. So bad that I thought it was abandoned. Just to be sure, I knocked on the door. Someone answered! I told him that I thought his house was abandoned. He is a 74 year old gentleman who said that he simply could not afford to keep it. I then introduced myself and asked how I could help. That always sparks questions or interest in the owner and it’s an ice breaker.
By pure luck, I think I may have found myself a motivated seller!
