Guerilla Marketing: For Wholesalers (Regardless of Your Budget)

Do you know the biggest difference between successful Real Estate investors and those who don’t make it?

It’s the ability to generate real estate seller leads.

The more seller leads for Real Estate you generate, the more offers you can make…

And the more offers you make… the MORE MONEY you can make.

So let’s ramp up your Real Estate leads system so that you can do more deals!

In this article, I am going to share with you free, low-budget, and medium/high budget Real Estate marketing strategies.

These Real Estate seller lead generation techniques are proven to work, and no matter what size budget you have to start with, you can start implementing them today.

Free Real Estate Marketing Campaigns

I know what it is like getting started… limited time, bills to pay, stress at home… the last thing you need is an expensive marketing budget.

Here is where to get started if money is tight…

1 – Websites

Finding motivated sellers via websites is free and quick.

Here is a list of the best Real Estate lead generation websites that have listings so you can call the owner, broker, bank, or auctioneer to start finding MOTIVATED sellers now…

Craigslist.org
eBay.com
GreatHouseDealsOnline.com
HudHomeStore.com
HubZu.com
Auction.com
HomePath.com
HomeSteps.com
BidForAssets.com
Proxibid.com
GovBid.com
Homes.com
FSBO.com
BuyOwner.com

And, it’s not free, but I personally love to use iFlip Real Estate for lead generation. Not only does it allow you to build websites, but it also automates the lead process FOR you. Check it out here.

2 – Real Estate Brokers

Brokers/Realtors/Agents can be a tremendous resource for you.

They are in the trenches every day and if they are good, they know the value of homes in the area.

You will need to find someone who specializes in short sales, REOs, estates, or some other “investor friendly” type of Real Estate agent.

The ones you do not want to work with are the ones that think they ‘know it all’, or that think ‘real estate investing is bad’… and there are plenty of those out there. I like to call them “dream stealers”.

You will have to work a little harder to find a good agent to work with… but this is time well spent because the right relationships can bring you deals for years to come.

I would suggest starting in your local “Homes For Sale” magazine. These are usually found at grocery stores.

You will see agents in there who advertise their foreclosure services and they are usually good to work with.

You can also drive around a few neighborhoods in your area and weave through every street so that you find every house for sale. Call each Realtor and let them know you are a cash investor who will close quick, with no contingencies… oh yeah, and the biggie… let them know you are not “represented” by another agent… this means double the paycheck for them.

Cheap Real Estate Marketing Ideas

If you have time, but little cash… these are great for you!

Here are my top 4 ways to find deals on a budget:

1 – Business Cards

Hand out business cards to every person you talk to (but don’t pressure them, just let them know what you do and ask them to pass your card on if they know someone looking to sell).

The best way to network is to keep in mind that you have 2 ears and 1 mouth. People don’t want to hear about your business as much as they want to tell you about their business.

Be a good listener… and be curious. Ask great questions… find out how you can be of service to them… get their card… and follow up with a great solution to one of their challenges.

The law of reciprocity will kick in and you will get great deals by ‘word of mouth’ if you implement this.

Plus, they will love having you around.

2 – Door Hangers

Go to your local print shop and purchase door hangers that say “I Buy Houses” with your contact info on them. Pick a few starter neighborhoods near you and place them on doorknobs of all of the houses in each neighborhood.

When the phone rings, you want to find out why the seller is selling. If they seem motivated, obviously this is a deal you should spend quality time on.

3 – Cold Calling

There are some “do not call” issues that you need to consider but if you get a list of people in foreclosure, in bankruptcy, in the process of evicting their tenant, or have another motivating factor, your call is generally welcomed.

Cold calling makes people nervous, but it’s one of the most effective ways to make lots of money on a budget.

4 – Drive for Dollars

First, identify a neighborhood in your area that is full of starter homes.

Then, drive up and down each and every street and look for houses that are vacant & need a lot of work.

While you are there, make a quick estimate of how much it would cost to repair the house.

Vacant house owners are motivated x 10.

These sellers have a headache on their hands because they may be paying multiple mortgage payments, tax payments, insurance payments, repairs, maintenance, and the worst part… the time it is taking away from their already busy life.

And if the house needs work, where are they going to come up with tens of thousands of dollars to fix it up?

If you’d like to find vacant houses, but don’t want to have to drive around town finding them yourself, you can save a ton of time with the Vacant House Data Feed . This automated solution serves up VERIFIED vacant houses to you on a silver platter!

The Best Real Estate Lead Generation Techniques

Some of these are relatively low-cost … some are more expensive… but these are the strategies that work best…

1 – Road Signs

Road signs AKA “bandit signs” are a great way to get a deal QUICKLY.

Local ordinances usually only allow road signs on the weekends, but check your city regulations, your area may be different.

The idea is, you buy those yellow or white signs that you see on the corners of major intersections and put your sign there saying that you buy houses.

I would suggest putting about 50 out in your area, to get a feel for it. You can adjust how many and how often you put them out, as you go.

A good website to get road signs is SignWarehouse.com.

2 – Car Wrap

If you have an average car (not too shabby but not too luxurious), then installing a “car wrap” will get you some calls. I have gotten deals this way but I choose not to do it now because of my technology business.

If you don’t have a few thousand dollars to get a full wrap, I would suggest a window wrap. For a few hundred bucks, you can say “I Buy Houses” and your phone number on the back window of your car.

This is also a great way to tell all of your friends and family what you do without pestering them.

3 – Print Ads

While newspaper readership is down, it’s still a good way to get calls.

Place a small ad next to your competitors’ and say that you buy houses (and provide your number).

The majority of your competition will not answer the phone when the seller calls. The seller usually gets a voicemail message.

If you answer the call live, that will separate you from your competition and if you are the first out to see the house, you can lock it up before your competition even returns the call.

4 – Direct Mail

Sending mailers is another great one!

I love to send letters to owners in distress… especially absentee owners, expired listings, and free & clear owners.

To spread your dollars a little further, you may want to replace letters with postcards, like this…

… and a great place to get that done is Click2Mail.com.

5 – Bird Dogs

This is my FAVORITE strategy!

Whether you are on a budget or have a lot to spend on marketing, this is GREAT for you!!!

Instead of “driving for dollars”, you pay someone to drive for you. This will save you a ton of time, so that you can focus on higher dollar activities.

I usually pay them $10-15 for every vacant house they find.

Of all of the marketing strategies I have done, paying a birddog to find vacant houses for me has been the most profitable.

However, “house hunting” is just one way to use your bird dogs.

In fact, the way investors use bird dogs in their business is changing in a big way.

Because of systems like The Vacant House Data Feed, which provide you with access to verified vacant house leads across the country you can now use your bird dogs as “property pre-screeners” not just “deal hunters”.

Inside the Vacant House Data Feed you can even create driving maps for your bird dogs and send them step-by-step instructions for visiting multiple properties.

It’s a game changer!

If you haven’t tried it yet you can today with a 100% risk-free 30-day trial by clicking here.

If you want to dive deeper on Bird Dogs, check out my blog post on Bird Dogs to learn how to find them, how much to pay them, and how to use technology to speed up the process.

Or if you have any comments on this article, please leave them below. I will personally respond to you as soon as I can.

Regards,

Cameron Dunlap