Real Estate WEALTH Magazine | Page 95

Probate Leads Provide New Leads, pg. 68 Land Trusts and the Savvy Landlord, pg. 69 ALTERNATIVE LEADS ARE THE SOLUTION Is there a way to solve the lack of leads currently occurring in the real estate market? There is. For real estate investors who want to continue to profit no matter the market, looking to alternative leads is the best strategy. These leads – found in the probate, divorce and bankruptcy industries – are the best way for investors to find homes and commercial properties despite the shortage in the United States. Probate leads are plentiful. With experts estimating that more than 30,000 probates are filed each month throughout the United States, each and every county has new options of homes, personal property, vacation homes and commercial real estate that are for sale. Executors, responsible for the sale of property held by someone who has passed, are under an obligation from their local court jurisdiction to sell the property in order to close the probate. What does this mean for you as an investor? For real estate investors, probate properties offer discounted prices, sometimes up to 30% to 50% off of current market prices, on homes and other property located in some of the most desirable areas of the region that you work in. Executors are generally eager to look at all offers for property as they need to sell the property in order to pay medical bills, taxes, legal fees and funeral expenses for their loved one. Divorce and bankruptcy leads are also another way to find great deals on property. Usually governed by the local court system, these leads can also provide excellent options for discounted prices. With divorce and probate leads it is critical to have your attorney review all of your documentation especially during your first experience working in this market. The language used in the sales documents can be different that is used in traditional offers due to legal requirements. Ask your legal counsel to ensure that there are ways for you to exit divorce deals if the parties do not cooperate. As an investor it is not wise to have your deal stalled due to marital discord. real estate. When I was a younger landlord (with two young daughters) the last thing I wanted was an irate tenant (who was being evicted by the “owner.”) to come knocking on my door where I lived to seek retribution. With the easy access to courthouse records that the internet provides looking up the owner of a property is easier than ever. Many of the benefits to holding title in a Land Trust relate to personal safety like the example above. Another personal story to drive home this point was the landlady in Florida who called me and wanted to know how quickly she could put her property into Trust (and get the title out of her name). Seems that one of her male tenants was taking an interest in her. The tenant had looked her up online and found eight properties that she owned in her own name. Armed with this information the tenant was going to each property and knocking on the door looking for her. It never occurred to me before she called that titling your property in a Land Trust could help avoid a stalker! Being a property manager and not an owner is a MUCH better position to be in when dealing with tenants. It puts you in a different light. One with less authority and less ability to change things. It is similar to actors having agents to negotiate their movie contracts. Actors are good at what they do, but not necessarily good at negotiating on their own behalf. Furthermore, it takes confrontation out of the equation and always allows the agent/manager the ability to say, “The owner will not let me do that” or “I will talk to the owner about your request and get back to you.” This lets you back off and think about the tenant’s request with a clear head and a lack of emotion. I could give many more examples of how beneficial it is to hold title to your investment real estate in a Land Trust, but space limits me and I think you are getting the gist of my point anyway. So, do yourself a favor and DON’T OWN REAL ESTATE IN YOUR OWN NAME. There are NO advantages to owning real estate personally…only disadvantages! ACCESSING ALTERNATIVE TYPES OF LEADS The best way to access these alternative types of leads is to use a lead service that can help you to locate the most current and viable option for your business. U.S. Probate Leads, the industry leader in lead coordination, offers probate, divorce and bankruptcy leads in every county in the United States. Our qualified, trained professionals visit courthouses to collect the most up-to-date information on what types of property is available through the probate. Using an expert service will help you to save time on trips to the courthouse and give you more time to visit properties and make contact with Executors. We offer a full range of services, including webinars, seminars, books, communication software and even individualized mentoring. Call us today or visit us at www.usprobateleads.com for more information. Realty411Guide.com PAGE 95 • 2016 Randy Hughes, aka, Mr. Land Trust™ It is difficult to convey all of the benefits of using a Land Trust in a short article like this. I have been using (and writing about) Land Trusts for the last 40 years. If you would like to learn more about how to create your own Land Trusts, for FREE training go to: www.landtrustwebinar.com/411or email me at: [email protected] for my FREE booklet, “50 Reasons to Use a Land Trust” or contact me the old fashioned way by calling 866-6967347 (I actually answer my own phone!) Randy Hughes, aka, Mr. Land Trust™ reWEALTHmag.com