I’ve looked at several vacants in my area (Baltimore) but decided for one reason or another that I was not interested.
I discovered one that is next door to some friends of mine. I researched the owner and found his mailing address in Chicago. My question is if I am to send him a letter that shows I am interested do I submit an offer right off the bat and try not to give them time to think about other options, or should I just make contact and find out if they are interested first?
You should set yourself apart from the herds of other investors whom have likely already contacted the property owner. I own property out of state and get at least 1-2 investor letters per week. They all end up in the trash because I know what they are, I’m not currently interested in selling and most importantly none of them give me a reason why I should call them back.
They all say the same thing; Hi, I’m interested in your property in XXXX city, please call me. Why not be more focused, introduce yourself, state your purpose and give the owner a reason to contact you. Maybe this means including a soft offer in your letter, maybe something else.