Find a Property

How to Find a Property for Buying or Renting before Everyone else?

Have you been looking for a bargain for months but every time you find one it’s too late? Has anyone found it before you? Are you a real estate professional and have you missed an opportunity to obtain an exclusive mandate? Tired of seeing good deals pass you by? Be the first to find a property that is not yet for sale and become a master at finding the best real estate opportunities.

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What is the point of being the first to find a property for sale?

For an individual 

You are a private buyer and you do not want to go through a real estate professional to buy? Skilled in negotiation, do you feel ready to discuss with the direct seller to obtain the price you want? So it is important to find the property you are looking for before the real estate agent who already has potential buyers. 

The real estate agent will do everything to obtain an exclusive mandate and you will no longer be able to buy directly. Finding the property of your dreams before anyone else is therefore necessary if you don’t want to miss out on a great deal. 

Important thing to know, the seller has fears, like everyone else. He will be afraid in particular of:

  • Take time to sell
  • Have no visitors
  • Sell at too low a price

Losing money going through a real estate agent who takes a commission

If you are the first on a property, that you show your interest in buying this apartment or this house, you will make these fears disappear. If the seller is less scared, he will be less defensive and you will be able to discuss the price more easily.

For a real estate professional

Are you a real estate agent, agent, commercial agent or employee, do you need to find properties to offer for sale to earn a living? It is easier to sell for sure when you are the only one with the mandate to sell. 

To have a mandate that gives you exclusivity, you have to be the first on the job. It will give you the advantage of:

  • Avoid competition
  • Take the time to schedule visits
  • Hold your sales pitch without being parasitized by a competitor
  • Dramatically increase your chances of selling

The goal for you is to satisfy a seller and a buyer, to improve your notoriety and of course to earn a living.

Why is scanning ads not a good idea for you?

After visiting all the real estate ad sites, have you programmed alerts? Think you’ll be first on new deals? Do you really think you’re the only one doing this? 

Not only are you not the only one to have had this idea, but if there is an announcement, it means that the property is already for sale. What you want is to find the nugget before the others, before the ad has appeared. 

I have good news and bad news for you… The good news is that it’s simple. The bad, it will force you to get up from your sofa to find a property for sale! 

How to be the first to find a house or an apartment?

Finding a good deal takes time and a bit of method. If you follow the methods that I will share with you, you will be sure to succeed in finding a property to sell before everyone else. 

Know your market

Before you start looking for a property, you must already know the local real estate market where you want to focus your efforts. An analysis of existing advertisements in the sector of your research will allow you to determine an average price per m².

I give you practical tools to make a success of your real estate purchase , it is a series of interesting articles in addition. These tools will allow you to quickly get an idea of ​​the value of the properties you are going to target.

  • Real estate prospecting methods
  • Ask people on the street

This is my favourite method and the one I find the most effective as an individual when you have a little time to prospect. Just ask, it’s as simple as that. 

You’ll be surprised how easy it is to find out what property is (or will be) for sale by simply saying ” Hello, I’ve heard of a house for sale in the neighbourhood, I don’t see a sign ” for sale “. I’m looking to buy in the area, I like the neighbourhood very much. Heard of a house for sale? “. 

The ideal being the elderly, they like to talk a lot. In addition to having valuable information, you will give a smile to someone who will be happy to have helped you.

Skip Tracing Services:

Real estate lead generation and skip tracing services are the best opportunities real estate investers and agents use to find properties for sale. These services providers use variatey of websites to collect the listing of the properties and then find the information of the owners and provide to the agents to call them and close the deal. Get in touch with us to get the best real estate skip tracing services.

Closed houses

By dint of walking around, you will end up spotting certain houses or apartments whose shutters are systematically closed. It can be a secondary residence. It can also be a good deal. 

Take the time to ring the neighbours of this house to find out a little more. You may learn that this house belongs to a person who inherited it and who is too far away to come and maintain it. Often the neighbours know at least the name of the owner or even his telephone number. Otherwise you can always glean valuable information from the cadastre service of the town hall.

Strangely, some people do not particularly want to sell their house, which they have no use for. But the simple fact of offering to buy it can convince them that it is a good solution to sell it to you. 

The prescription 

Find prescribers, people who will have a role of business provider. Its role will be to inform you of the goods for sale and to communicate your contact details to potential sellers or buyers. 

It is a relationship between the seller and you. To encourage these people to work with you, you will of course have to put your hand in your pocket to thank them. It is therefore a method intended mainly for real estate professionals who will be able to pay remuneration more easily. 

Your network of prescribers will initially be made up of your entourage (family and friends). When you prospect, hand out your business card explaining that you pay for contacts that result in a sale. 

When a prescriber receives his first check from you, be sure that he will be impatient to receive the next one! It is an incredibly powerful technique. Once your network of prescribers is in place, you don’t even need to prospect. You will only travel for appointments with clients. 

If you manage to build a network of influencers and check in on them regularly, business will happen by itself and you will often be the first on the property.

Small businesses 

Merchants often know regular customers well and talk a lot with them. They are often forgotten but they are mines of information. This is especially true in small towns or villages.

The bakeries are my favourites and in addition you can snack on a little sweetness as a bonus. There is also often a space dedicated to classified ads, where you can find an apartment or a house for sale. 

Hairdressing salons are also places conducive to exchanges. The legend says that at the hairdresser, you learn everything that happens in the neighbourhood… I’ll let you check for yourself…

Notaries  

Reliable source par excellence, but also the most difficult to have. To be reserved for those who are lucky enough to know a notary or someone who works with a notary. 

If you regularly invest in real estate and the contact goes well with your notary, he can offer you good deals. 

Notarial offices are increasingly competing with real estate agencies by themselves offering properties for sale (generally from estates). 

Place a classified ad 

Simple but effective, placing a search ad on a website or distributing it in the mailboxes of the targeted neighbourhoods can also allow you to obtain quality information. 

It is preferable to play the card of transparency, that is to say that if you are a real estate professional, specify it. There is nothing worse than discovering a lie, the relationship may start on very bad foundations.

If you are an individual, turn your ad in a simple and friendly way (for example by highlighting the quality of the neighbourhood, by talking about your children, etc.)

Town halls  

Having a contact at the town hall can also help you find properties for sale in the town before anyone else. In the same way as notaries, the staff of the town halls can have knowledge of possible successions.

Sympathise with the town planning staff, it can only help you in your efforts.

Identify the most profitable properties

Now that you know how to find real estate before everyone else, the question is whether it’s a good deal. For that I refer you to the article How to find a profitable property to read absolutely in addition to making a success of your real estate purchase. If you manage to find a profitable property before the others, it’s the guaranteed jackpot.

Conclusion

You can use several of these methods in combination or just one to find a property before the others. It doesn’t matter as long as you get enough clear and precise information to find a home for sale. Keep in mind that if you don’t ask, no one will come to give you the information.

All these methods won’t take you much longer than searching the internet to find a house or an apartment, calling the different agencies, scheduling visits, etc. The advantage of these methods is that you can see very quickly if the well can meet your expectations.