| Getting Wholesale Buyers In The Home |
I have been asked numerous times about how I get buyers into a home that I'm wholesaling. Well,
I've decided to finally put some tips into an article and show you the numerous methods that have worked
for me.
First, let's look at the fears that wholesalers have about the buyer being in the wholesale
house. Most new wholesalers are worried about the buyer and sellers meeting and possibly arranging a deal
on their own. Similarly, the wholesaler may worry that the sellers may find out that he is marketing the
property to someone else. If the wholesaler is dealing with the right properties (meaning the sellers are
motivated), they are not looking to make the wholesaler’s life difficult. Instead, they want to make life
easier on the wholesaler and get their property sold.
Second, buyers don't need to know about the wholesaling deal. I buy houses site unseen all the
time, and many of my buyers will do the same, but not all of them. In the cases when buyers will not buy
site unseen, here are ways that you can get them into a house:
- After your contract is signed, there are numerous reasons why you need to get back into the home.
These reasons could include having partners, appraisers, lenders, contractors, and inspectors see the
home. You can add a clause to your contract that will allow this or you can simply ask for permission
after the fact. I have NEVER been denied access to a home after it was under contract.
- If you use a realtor to purchase the property, you can tell the realtor that you need to get into
the property and have my buyers there when the realtor lets you in. I once had an open house where 15
buyers were sitting outside waiting for my realtor to get there. It was a bit of a fiasco, but it all
worked out and I sold the home.
- Many vacant homes have easy access – meaning, that doors and windows are open or missing. I've
walked into vacant homes and so have my buyers. Although this isn't always a safe thing to do and I'm
not recommending to "leave things open", it"s a possible entry into the house. So if you
happen to see a property open and you're the legitimate buyer, it's unlikely that you will have problems
if caught in the house.
- Lock boxes are wonderful things. These gadgets, normally hanging on the front door, allow an owner
to permit access to the home without actually having to show up and let someone in. If you are given
the combination, you can access the front door key in the lock box and get into the property. If you
don't know the combination, ask if you can have it. Also, consider putting your own lockbox at the house.
Ask the seller if you can put it on the door to allow your contractors, appraisers, lenders, etc to gain
entry.
There are many ways to get into homes. Just be creative. I have even had my realtor list me as an
assistant which allows me to go see homes and, if I get questions, I simply say that I'm with the realty
company and no one asks anything further.
I hope this helps.
- Steve Cook
Since 1998 Steve Cook has flipped many hundreds of houses as an active Baltimore-area real estate investor. Steve’s
unique specialty is the “flipping homes 1-2 punch”, a proven system of real estate investing that powerfully combines
wholesaling and rehabbing houses. Also the founder of www.FlippingHomes.com, Steve is dedicated to helping others
in this thriving online community succeed through understanding and aggressively applying his time-tested,
step-by-step approach to flipping real estate. Get FREE weekly tips from Steve Cook and other house flipping
experts at www.flippinghomes.com
Back to Real Estate Investing Articles
|