I know I should ask how much they owe, if they have any leins on the property, how much they need for the house. What else?
Sometimes asking the question of “How much do you owe"will get a response like this"None of your DA#n business!”.Its according to what situation that the home owner is in(foreclosure,bankruptcy,job transferral).If they’re in some of those situations where they have to get rid of it then they may tell you.If they’re not(and trying to get FMV) then you’ll get the other answer.I always ask about the house,ask if it needs any repairs,then i ask why they are selling.This will let you know what position they are in.Remember"Before you can provide a solution,you need to find out the problem". A title search will determine if there are any liens on it,but i do ask and alot of times they’ll lie about what is owed,but then you can probably re-negotiate the deal,Good luck!
You pay for a title search? That is like $750. What if you pay that and it turns out that they owe almost FMV then youa re out $750?
I dont know what state your in but my state i can get one done for$150.00.Just do this,get a written estimate of repairs,pull comps,find buyers,once you locate one and have a contract filled out with him the run the title search.But make sure you have a clause in there for this and then you can renegotiate or back out.