{"id":5485,"date":"2017-03-10T07:00:20","date_gmt":"2017-03-10T12:00:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/camerondirect.com\/?p=5485"},"modified":"2021-02-16T21:07:27","modified_gmt":"2021-02-16T21:07:27","slug":"vacant-houses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/realestatewealthnetwork.com\/blog\/vacant-houses\/","title":{"rendered":"Vacant House Gold: How To Spot Vacant Houses FAST"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>As you may know, I love vacant house deals, and that is simply because they are disguised gold mines. In my previous post, I covered the fundamentals of vacant houses. But today is a continuation with more detailed info--<em>a lot<\/em>\u00a0more.<\/p>\n<p>In my informative post about the basics of vacant homes or abandoned property, I talked about why they have less competition than MLS and FSBO properties \u2013 and how that translates into endless opportunities that can ultimately be some of the most profitable deals you\u2019ll ever do as an investor. We also touched on why you don\u2019t need to personally fund your deals, and how the only capital you\u2019ll risk is a small earnest money deposit of typically $10-$100.<\/p>\n<p>I also laid out <a href=\"http:\/\/camerondirect.com\/abandoned-property\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">my 5-step process for quickly turning an abandoned property into BIG paychecks<\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/camerondirect.com\/abandoned-property\/\">.<\/a> Here\u2019s a brief reminder of what we covered:<\/p>\n<p><strong>#1. Spot or Locate the Vacant Houses<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>#2. Find the Seller<\/p>\n<p>#3. Strike a Deal with the Seller<\/p>\n<p>#4. Flip the House to Another Investor<\/p>\n<p>#5. Repeat :)<\/p>\n<p>Sound familiar? Good.<\/p>\n<p>So today, let\u2019s jump back in by discussing, in detail, the first of those 5 steps: <strong>How to spot or locate<\/strong> those gold mines disguised as vacant homes.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Simplicity at it<\/strong><strong>s finest<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>The first way to spot a vacant house is simple. Believe it or not, it\u2019s actually something that you\u2019re already doing on a daily basis:<strong> driving in your car.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Told you it was simple!<\/p>\n<p>Here you are, subconsciously scoping out the vacant houses--whether you\u2019re driving to appointments, dropping the kids off at school, or heading to the grocery store \u2013 be sure and take a different route each time, rather than the same way every day... and most importantly... keep your eyes peeled for <strong><u>the tell-tale signs of vacant houses<\/u><\/strong> (They are everywhere!):<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Grass is high, unkempt, not mowed<\/li>\n<li>No curtains in the windows<\/li>\n<li>Doors and\/or windows boarded up, broken or wide open<\/li>\n<li>Mail spilling out of the mailbox<\/li>\n<li>Postal worker\u2019s note inside the mailbox (you can open the mailbox to look inside; you might see a handwritten note by the mail carrier that says the home is vacant, so substitute mail carriers know not to leave mail, just don\u2019t mess with any mail in there.)<\/li>\n<li>Newspapers piling up in the driveway<\/li>\n<li>Foreclosure or code violation stickers on the front door<\/li>\n<li>No tire tracks or footprints in the snow (if it\u2019s in a snowy part of the country; one of the best times to look for vacant houses is right after a fresh snowfall)<\/li>\n<li>Electric meter is missing (vandalized or outright stolen)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><em>*(Just make sure you\u2019re keeping track of where you\u2019ve driven.)<\/em><\/p>\n<p>In fact, you can use <a href=\"https:\/\/realestatewealthnetwork.com\/vacant-house-data-feed\/search\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">this free search tool <\/a>here to see EXACTLY how many vacant house leads are available in your area (this works all across the country)! This tool allows you to pull a targeted list of deals to drive to, which will fundamentally make your \u201cdriving for dollars\u201d experience much more profitable.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/realestatewealthnetwork.com\/vacant-house-data-feed\/search\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img class=\"wp-image-5809 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/dlbf54swf3l6o.cloudfront.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/FindingVacantHouses.png\" alt=\"Finding vacant houses is easy\" width=\"447\" height=\"346\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Also, be sure to keep in mind that what is occupied today may not be occupied tomorrow and vice versa. This is a fluid environment. <em>Fluidity<\/em> is a bit like chasing a chicken. What successful investors focus on is the value of those deals. Any of them might mean a $10,000 - $50,000 paycheck. So, just because you drove through a certain neighborhood today, doesn\u2019t mean that you should write it off. Instead, in a couple of months, circle back to it to see if something new has popped up.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong>Pro Tip:<\/strong><\/span><strong> Staying organized is a must and will essentially save you a lot of time and hassle. <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>To help keep you organized, you can put up a big map of your area on the wall and segment it into different areas, such as--\u2018Area #1,\u2019 \u2018Area #2\u2019 and so on. From there, you can then formulate a plan to drive to Area #1 one week and then to Area #2 the next week. Then, you will want to make sure that you rotate going through your segmented areas throughout the year.<\/p>\n<p>Look, you\u2019re already out there driving around anyway, so making your time more useful and valuable is necessary, especially if you\u2019re just getting started.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Why Direct Mail is a MUST<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>This method of finding vacant houses is also pretty simple and easy to implement\u2026<\/p>\n<p>Any time that you\u2019re doing a mail campaign, such as a yellow letter or postcard mailing, you want to make sure that you add the following words to the envelope: <strong>Return Service Requested<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/realestatewealthnetwork.com\/vacant-house-data-feed\/search\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img class=\"img-responsive aligncenter wp-image-5810\" src=\"https:\/\/dlbf54swf3l6o.cloudfront.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/VacantHouseSearch.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"648\" height=\"301\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Why do this?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Well, it compels the postal service to send you back a copy of the mail piece when there is a forwarded order in place. So what does this mean?<\/p>\n<p>As you likely know, when you move, you fill out a forwarding order with the United States Postal Service (USPS) to have mail sent to your new address \u2013 your mail then shows up with a yellow sticker on the envelope with your new address. The post office will then begin to forward your mail for a whole year.<\/p>\n<p>Besides ensuring that your mail gets to your new home, the general idea behind the forwarding order is to help remind you to communicate your new address to the people and companies who send you mail.<\/p>\n<p>So, when you see the words \u2013 \u2018<em>Return Service Requested<\/em>\u2019\u2013placed on an envelope, the sender, in turn, receives a notice from the post office about your new address. (In our case, you\u2019ll get a postcard with the old and new addresses).<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Why is the post office willing to do this?<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Well, this is mainly because direct mail marketers (us!) are USPS\u2019s <em>best customers<\/em>. This is a way for us to keep our databases up-to-date and clean, which they like (and so do we).<\/p>\n<p>There is a nominal fee for this Return Service Request, <u>but hear me now<\/u> \u2013 it\u2019s worth it for <strong>two reasons:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>It <strong>provides a clue <\/strong>to help you figure out if the property is potentially vacant.<\/li>\n<li>It\u2019s a very <strong>effective method<\/strong> for locating the owner of a vacant house-- since you\u2019ll be notified of their forwarding address.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>By the way, you can do a Return Service Request on\u00a0<em>any form<\/em>\u00a0of postage mailing: 1<sup>st<\/sup>\u00a0Class, Pre-Sort 1<sup>st<\/sup>\u00a0Class, 2<sup>nd<\/sup>\u00a0Class, 3<sup>rd<\/sup>\u00a0Class, etc.<\/p>\n<p>Next, I want to share with you a mailing strategy that\u00a0<em>does<\/em>\u00a0require 1<sup>st<\/sup>\u00a0Class postage. This idea applies when you\u2019re doing a mass mailing to a list of a particular zip code or specific neighborhood. For example, you add the Return Service Request to the mailings.<\/p>\n<p>If the house is vacant, the postal carrier will literally mark the envelope as vacant and return the mail piece\u00a0back <em>to you<\/em>. Best of all, there\u2019s no extra charge for this \u2013 it\u2019s part of what\u2019s included in the cost of a 1<sup>st<\/sup>\u00a0Class mailing.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/realestatewealthnetwork.com\/vacant-house-data-feed\/search\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img class=\"img-responsive aligncenter wp-image-5811\" src=\"https:\/\/dlbf54swf3l6o.cloudfront.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/VacantHousesTool.png\" alt=\"free Vacant Houses Tool\" width=\"579\" height=\"272\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">By doing this, you\u2019re easily able to identify every vacant house within that specific zip code or area that you mailed to. So, if you\u2019re doing a mailing anyway, and you can afford the minimal extra expense of a 1<sup>st<\/sup>\u00a0Class mailing,--add <em>Return Service Requested<\/em> on your envelopes.<\/p>\n<p>This is a very powerful and effective strategy.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Bird Dogs<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>My final suggestion for locating a vacant house is with <em>bird dogs<\/em>. I\u2019ve been using bird dogs for\u00a0<em>years<\/em>. A <strong><em>bird dog<\/em><\/strong> is usually someone who does not understand Real Estate, but either wants to learn or just needs some extra income. Although you can drive around looking for vacant homes, you can also hire people at affordable rates to do it, too. By attracting these types of people into your business, you can train them to scout properties for you that are vacant and need work, so that you can spend more time making offers.<\/p>\n<p>I actually have some requirements for my bird dogs, which enables me to get the biggest bang for my buck--this has been the biggest game-changer for my business and for my students!<\/p>\n<p>But first, let me explain this further\u2026<\/p>\n<p>Initially, I send them to my Real Estate bird dog website so that I can automate the entire process. I use iFlip Real Estate to set up my websites and automate my entire business from beginning to end. If you haven\u2019t done so already, <a href=\"https:\/\/realestatewealthnetwork.com\/iflip\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">you can try it out 100% risk-free here!<\/a><\/p>\n<p>This way, when they\u2019re out driving around looking for vacant houses, I require them to provide me with at least 6\u00a0<strong>photos<\/strong>\u00a0of the house:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>1 picture of each side of the house = 4 (front, back, left side, right side)<\/li>\n<li>1 picture with the house on the left side of the frame, looking up the street<\/li>\n<li>1 picture with the house on the right side of the frame, looking down the street<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Those last 2 pictures give me a good idea of the neighborhood, further allowing me to see what the other houses on the street look like.<\/p>\n<p>I also require my bird dogs to provide approximate <strong>square footage<\/strong>\u00a0of the house. (Yes, we can get this info online, but I like having it done at this point in the process --again it\u2019s all about saving your time.)<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019ve made it simple for my bird dogs to do this \u2013 when they first come on board with me, I ask them to lay a tape measure on the ground to measure their stride. (My stride, for example, is about 3 feet.) When my bird dogs are at the property, I will ask them to walk around the outside of the property and gather the dimensions based on their stride.<\/p>\n<p>Then, they\u2019ll apply their measurements to this simple equation:<\/p>\n<p><strong>Length x Width = Area<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>So, if the bird dog has a 3-foot stride and the house is 20 strides long and 10 strides deep, that\u2019s 60 x 30 = 1,800 feet.<\/p>\n<p><em>For example<\/em>, if it\u2019s a 2-story house, you\u2019d double that. If there\u2019s a non-attached addition, like a small guest house, the bird dog will walk that too, where they will then add that addition, plus the main house together.<\/p>\n<p>You have to admit, that\u2019s pretty easy math. (And it\u2019s a great way to verify or support the square footage you\u2019ll later find from the tax assessor\u2019s report online-- which we\u2019ll soon be covering in an upcoming post.)<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s another pretty simple thing that I want my bird dogs to do \u2013 provide me with a\u00a0<strong>classification of repairs<\/strong>\u00a0by putting the home into one of three categories, in terms of condition:<\/p>\n<p><strong>Bad<\/strong><br \/>\nStandard rehab \u2013 needs paint, kitchen and bathrooms need some work, light fixtures need updating, a bit of landscaping \u2013 nothing crazy<\/p>\n<p><strong>Really Bad<\/strong><br \/>\nEverything in the \u201cBad\u201d category, plus \u2013 needs new siding, windows and roof<\/p>\n<p><strong>Awful<\/strong><br \/>\nEverything in the \u201cBad\u201d and \u201cReally Bad\u201d categories, plus \u2013 structural issues, electrical work \u2013 a major rehab<\/p>\n<p>(Then I use a square foot multiplier to help estimate the cost of repairs.)<\/p>\n<p><em>*Keep in mind that these numbers will vary depending on your location, specific neighborhood and labor costs, so we\u2019ll use some numerical examples to further explain this...<\/em><\/p>\n<p>If a house is in <strong>\u2018Bad\u2019<\/strong> shape-- let\u2019s say it\u2019ll cost $20 per square foot for repairs. So an 1,800-square-foot house will likely cost about $36,000 to repair. ($20 x 1,800 = $36,000)<\/p>\n<p>If it\u2019s <strong>\u2018Really Bad<\/strong>,\u2019-- it\u2019s $30 per square foot. So, $30 x 1,800 = $54,000.<\/p>\n<p>If it\u2019s got the \u2018<strong>Awful<\/strong>\u2019 categorization--it\u2019ll be $40\/square foot. $40 x 1,800 = $72,000.<\/p>\n<p>The more and more deals that you do, you\u2019ll learn the average price per square foot for repairs. And, by using my technique, the repair estimate process will be quick and easy.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong>Pro Tip:<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0We\u2019re just using these numbers as an example for our purposes today. If you\u2019re not sure how to get an estimate of what repairs cost in your area\u2026 check with other investors or local contractors so that you can best determine the typical pricing in your area.<\/p>\n<p>For years, I have tried to devise a way to estimate repairs\u00a0<em>without <\/em>actually\u00a0going inside of the home, and I couldn\u2019t figure it out\u2026 But then, I came up with the 3 categories of \u2018<strong>Bad, Really Bad and Awful\u2019<\/strong>. I\u2019ve gotta say, it works like a charm! It\u2019s also very helpful knowing what the repair estimate is, as it\u2019s a\u00a0<em>crucial<\/em>\u00a0aspect of vacant house deals, along with real estate investing in general.<\/p>\n<p>At this point, you might be wondering, \"But Cam, how does my bird dog do all of this without actually getting <em>inside<\/em>\u00a0of the house?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Good question.<\/p>\n<p>Well, believe it or not, your bird dog will become so experienced, that eventually, they\u2019ll be able to get all of the necessary information, without even getting out of their car!<\/p>\n<p>So...thanks to the beauty of delegating--when my bird dog brings me a property with the photos, approximate square footage and repair categorization, I don\u2019t even need to go to the house. (Now.. talk about saving time!)<\/p>\n<h3><strong>One last thing about bird dogs\u2026<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Let\u2019s briefly talk about how to pay your bird dogs for their work.<\/p>\n<p>Personally, I like to pay\u00a0<em>per lead<\/em>. Again, we\u2019ll use <em>example numbers<\/em> here:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>$5 - if the property is within the 30-mile radius of my office<\/li>\n<li>$10 - if the property is outside the 30-mile radius of my office<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>I know what you\u2019re thinking...<\/p>\n<p><em>\u201cYou\u2019re crazy, Cam. That\u2019s a lot of money!! What if my bird dog brings me 20 leads today? That could be either $100, or even $200, if they\u2019re outside the area. That\u2019s a decent chunk of change there.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Well, think about it this way \u2013 if you had to shell out $100 to your bird dog for 20 $5 leads, do you think that you could turn just one of those leads into a deal?<\/p>\n<p>Yes. In fact, with my <strong><em>5-step vacant house process <\/em><\/strong>\u2013 I\u00a0know that\u00a0you can.<\/p>\n<p>So, think of it this way: <strong>Spend a little to make\u00a0<\/strong><strong><em>a lot<\/em><\/strong><strong>.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Most importantly, consider the value of your time. Think about the amount of time that it would have taken you to find 20 leads when you can actually just spend $100 for someone else to do it.<\/p>\n<p>And remember, <a href=\"https:\/\/realestatewealthnetwork.com\/vacant-house-data-feed\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">if you\u2019re using the Vacant House Data Feed to sift &amp; sort through leads<\/a>, you are ready to drive by them (or have a bird dog drive by them for you).<\/p>\n<p>\u2026Or if you would prefer, you could just send a mailer.<\/p>\n<p>The question that you need to ask yourself is, \u201cIs your time worth $100, or is it worth a multiple of that?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>This is a no-brainer. Your time is much better spent negotiating with sellers and finalizing deals.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Still Sooo Much More To Come...<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>So, now that you know a few methods for finding vacant houses \u2013 you can begin by taking action on some of them\u00a0<em>today<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>In my next post, I\u2019ll cover--in detail--the second step in my 5-step process-- finding the owners\/sellers of these properties.<\/p>\n<p>We\u2019ll go in-depth into locating the seller through several methods, including tax roll data and the super helpful skip tracing.<\/p>\n<p>Until then, if you have any questions or comments on spotting vacant houses, please feel free to leave any comments or questions below. I personally monitor and respond to them.<\/p>\n<p>Best Regards,<\/p>\n<p>Cameron Dunlap<\/p>\n<p>PS. Do you have anything to add about spotting vacant homes? Share it with me in the comments section below.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As you may know, I love vacant house deals, and that is simply because they are disguised gold mines. In my previous post, I covered the fundamentals of vacant houses. But today is a continuation with more detailed info&#8211;a lot\u00a0more. In my informative post about the basics of vacant homes or abandoned property, I talked [&hellip;]<\/p>\n<div data-animation=\"no-animation\" data-icons-animation=\"no-animation\" data-overlay=\"\" data-change-size=\"\" data-button-size=\"1\" style=\"font-size:1em!important;display:none;\" class=\"supsystic-social-sharing supsystic-social-sharing-package-flat supsystic-social-sharing-content supsystic-social-sharing-content-align-left\" data-text=\"\"><a data-networks=\"[]\" class=\"social-sharing-button sharer-flat sharer-flat-1 counter-standard without-counter facebook\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Facebook\" href=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Frealestatewealthnetwork.com%2Fblog%2Fvacant-houses%2F\" data-main-href=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u={url}\" data-nid=\"1\" data-name=\"\" data-pid=\"1\" data-post-id=\"5485\" data-url=\"https:\/\/realestatewealthnetwork.com\/blog\/wp-admin\/admin-ajax.php\" rel=\"noreferrer nofollow\" data-mailto=\"\"><i class=\"fa-ssbs fa-ssbs-fw fa-ssbs-facebook\"><\/i><div class=\"counter-wrap standard\"><span class=\"counter\">0<\/span><\/div><\/a><a data-networks=\"[]\" class=\"social-sharing-button sharer-flat sharer-flat-1 counter-standard without-counter twitter\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Twitter\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/share?url=https%3A%2F%2Frealestatewealthnetwork.com%2Fblog%2Fvacant-houses%2F&text=Vacant+House+Gold%3A+How+To+Spot+Vacant+Houses+FAST\" data-main-href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/share?url={url}&text={title}\" data-nid=\"2\" data-name=\"\" data-pid=\"1\" data-post-id=\"5485\" data-url=\"https:\/\/realestatewealthnetwork.com\/blog\/wp-admin\/admin-ajax.php\" rel=\"noreferrer nofollow\" data-mailto=\"\"><i class=\"fa-ssbs fa-ssbs-fw fa-ssbs-twitter\"><\/i><div class=\"counter-wrap standard\"><span class=\"counter\">0<\/span><\/div><\/a><a data-networks=\"[]\" class=\"social-sharing-button sharer-flat sharer-flat-1 counter-standard without-counter linkedin\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Linkedin\" href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/shareArticle?mini=true&title=Vacant+House+Gold%3A+How+To+Spot+Vacant+Houses+FAST&url=https%3A%2F%2Frealestatewealthnetwork.com%2Fblog%2Fvacant-houses%2F\" data-main-href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/shareArticle?mini=true&title={title}&url={url}\" data-nid=\"13\" data-name=\"\" data-pid=\"1\" data-post-id=\"5485\" data-url=\"https:\/\/realestatewealthnetwork.com\/blog\/wp-admin\/admin-ajax.php\" rel=\"noreferrer nofollow\" data-mailto=\"\"><i class=\"fa-ssbs fa-ssbs-fw fa-ssbs-linkedin\"><\/i><div class=\"counter-wrap standard\"><span class=\"counter\">0<\/span><\/div><\/a><\/div>","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":7632,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29,2],"tags":[195,110,204,205,43],"class_list":["post-5485","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-finding-deals","category-flipping-houses","tag-bird-dog","tag-direct-mail","tag-postage","tag-return-service-request","tag-vacant-house"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v28.7 (Yoast SEO v28.7) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Vacant House Gold: How To Spot Vacant Houses FAST - Real Estate Wealth Network - Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/realestatewealthnetwork.com\/blog\/vacant-houses\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Vacant House Gold: How To Spot Vacant Houses FAST\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"As you may know, I love vacant house deals, and that is simply because they are disguised gold mines. In my previous post, I covered the fundamentals of vacant houses. But today is a continuation with more detailed info&#8211;a lot\u00a0more. 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