I am new to wholesaling and want to start with probate leads but I need to know how in the world I go about finding probate records at my local court? Or is there an online source I can use to find them? I live in Orlando, FL.
Can anyone give a walk through on how to go about doing this?
Much appreciated!
Hi,
You want death records not probate as you lose everyone who had an estate less than probate filing requirements and you lose everyone who had a family living trust that avoided probate, so contacting everyone from the death records is best as your contacting everyone in all 3 groups.
Deaths are public record and of course obituaries are available in your weekly news paper, etc.
GR
Go down to the courthouse and start acting stupid questions. Seriously, that’s what I’ve done. Also, when you write the letter make sure to address the potential sellers emotional state and not jump right into business.
Something like:
Dear John Doe,
I’d like to offer my condolences on the passing of your loved one. Something about this is a difficult time in their life. Mention the property while still being understanding about their situation. You understand they aren’t thinking about selling the property at this time, but in the future if they do you are a cash buyer who closes on the date of their choice.
It’s going to depend on which county you’re looking in. Every county does things a bit differently. In most places, you have to go down to the clerk’s office and get on one of their computers in the reading room. Then, you can lookup all of the probate case filings. Everything is probably in PDF format, so you’ll have to manually sift through the dockets and write down the information. I used to take my laptop and type everything into an Excel sheet. It’s not the easiest thing in the world, but that also means there isn’t as much competition. Most people are too lazy and would rather go after the low hanging fruit.
I’ve been reading everything I find on probates and watching you tube videos. I just ordered a course.
It seems that you have to send out the initial contact letter and a bunch of follow up letters and emails and phone calls to get them when they are finally ready to sell Mom’s or Grandma’s house, timing is crucial.
My plan is to wholesale these deals after adding an outrageous finders fee.
If you want to joint venture, email me.
Rando
You really shouldn’t need a course to market to probate leads. You can Google the letter or just write it yourself. A course to market to probates is essentially a scam unless they are charging you $20.00.
You can locate information about a deceased person’s estate online, and in most cases for absolutely no cost and hassle-free.
Thanks everyone. I have been interested in probate properties myself. I started out making contact with probate attorneys in my area. I told them I was an investor and left a card and a pamphlet. So far they have been really friendly. No leads yet but thats ok. Another lead potential right?
Great information you all… I was going to pull the tigger on buying a probate course and now I will use the infomation I learned in this forum. Big shoutout to Earl White!
New response to an old thread regarding contact the first time with the executor/administrator.
Send a postcard or letter that says “Greetings, I learned that the home at 123 W. Main St. is for sale. I’d like to make an offer if this is the case. You can contact me at … … …”
I’m paraphrasing my actual letter/postcard to them. When they get back to you they will ask how you know it’s for sale, to which you say “I get my leads from many sources. I can research that for you if it’s really important for you to know. Tell me about the property.” At this point, they will tell you it’s a probate/estate sale, which you already know, but it let’s them bring up the issue which means they are dealing with the emotions in a way that makes sense to them.