Real Estate Investing - The Motivated Seller

How the heck do you find a "motivated seller?"

The motivated seller doesn't wear a tattoo on his forehead that announces the distinction. And he never drags you onto his property begging you to buy.

In fact, the motivated seller may be very subtle in trying to hide his strong desire to sell. He may not want to exhibit his anxiety. (And if he did act anxious, you would suspect problems with his property!)

You will almost always pick up a property at the best price and terms when buying from a motivated seller.

That pronouncement sounds OK, but what does it mean?

Here's an example.

Has your mode of transportation ever become a junker?

Everyone who has owned a car or truck would probably admit "yes." We arrive at this perspective because of some dissatisfaction with the vehicle. Maybe it didn't run like it did when we drove it off the lot. Maybe it had lost the luster in appearance. Maybe repairs became more frequent, and we concluded that it was too much trouble to fool with any more. That vehicle became a noose around our neck. It was an albatross. It had become a huge liability. We wanted to get rid of it. We had become motivated to ditch the junker.

Sellers develop similar attitudes toward their real estate investments.

A rental house doesn't have to "fall apart" for the owner to become a motivated seller. Property management can be tough and aggravating. Landlording can be Dullsville.

Maybe a landlord gets sick, and can't continue to keep up his rental house.

Maybe a landlord becomes fed up with tenant problems, and wants to throw in the towel.

Maybe the owner of a residence gets a job transfer to another city, buys a second house, and can't sell his first house. Do you think making TWO MONTHLY MORTGAGE PAYMENTS per month can convert a smug seller with a firm price into a motivated seller who will accept a discount?

Maybe a couple divorces, and the court orders a house sale for settlement.

Maybe a family is facing bankruptcy, and selling their house quickly is the only solution they see for relieving financial pressures.

This short list of motivational reasons is just the tip of the iceberg. Sellers can develop strong motivations to sell in the flash of a moment! That's when sales price firmness softens, and ease of negotiation begins.

Phil Speer, Ph.D., started his real estate investing career 25 years ago. Without the availability of credit and using only a $10 bill, he purchased $1 million in properties in his first year, and had accumulated $10 million in properties by his fourth year. http://www.CashinHouses.com/

He was featured in a Wall St.Journal editorial as most successful investor in the Nothing Down Real Estate Movement, and was honored with a Caribbean cruise as top investor of the year. In his hometown of Nashville, Tennessee, he has been a businessman and Human Resources Consultant for 30 years. He is an author, speaker and seminar director. To learn how to profit in real estate investing, even without cash or credit, read his report at http://www.Real---Estate---Investment.com/nomoneydown/flipping.html/ Subscription is free to his Fix-up Ezine. He and other contributing authors provide free articles and resources on real estate investing at his online "Academy of Advanced Real Estate Investing Techniques" at http://www.AAREIT.com/

More than 40 states signed onto a proposed $25-billion deal with major mortgage servicers over faulty foreclosure practices. New York, Nevada and Delaware joined California in holding out for better terms.

More than 40 states signed onto a proposed $25-billion settlement with major mortgage servicers over faulty foreclosure procedures, but California, New York and other key states were still not among them.

California has until Monday to share in a multi-state deal with banks to obtain mortgage relief and reforms. Atty. Gen. Kamala Harris, who walked away from talks last year, says the door remains open.

With a Monday deadline at hand, California officials have resumed direct talks with the Obama administration about joining a multibillion-dollar, multi-state mortgage settlement with the nation's largest banks, a source said Sunday.

The talk show host pays $12 million for the 4,088-square-foot house with four bedrooms and four bathrooms. The ocean-view home sits on 1.26 bluff-top acres with beach access.

In one of the more talked-about transactions in town, actors Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have sold their Malibu beach house to daytime host and comedian Ellen De Generes for $12 million.

The four-bedroom, five-bathroom house built in 1920 for industrialist James Wigmore lists for $2,875,000.

A decorative cast stone entrance opens to this restored Spanish Colonial Revival-style house in Pasadena's South Orange Grove area. Built in 1920 for industrialist James Wigmore, the house retains such original details as coffered wood ceilings and arched doorways.

They don't believe they can sell their property for what it's worth, so they're spending money on making their homes more comfortable.

Do you fit any of these descriptions?

A biennial research report by the National Assn. of Realtors indicates that a handful of real estate agents and brokers and their clients either don't know the law or don't care to follow it.

When it comes to lawsuits, real estate agents and brokers tangle mostly among themselves.

The president aims to help about 3.5 million people with good credit who are unable to refinance at historically low rates because their homes are worth less than their mortgages.

 

The White House hopes to help millions of homeowners lower their monthly mortgage bill with a $5 billion to $10 billion plan to set up a streamlined refinancing program for people who are current on their payments.

The Standard & Poor's/Case-Shiller index of 20 large U.S. cities fell 1.3% in November from October as foreclosures continue to drag down the housing market.

Three straight months of home-price declines in the biggest U.S. cities showed that foreclosures remain a significant drag on a housing market that is entering its fifth year of deterioration.

L.A. Clipper Chris Paul may be quick down the court, but he moves pretty fast when it comes to buying multimillion-dollar real estate too.