New Probate Lead

Scott Costello Blog 7 Comments

Short post today, just wanted to fill you in on the new probate lead I got.

I got a call from a guy who when he left a message said that if I were to make an offer he’d surely accept it. So I called him back and tried to get more information about the house and gauge to see his real motivation. He was not a real talker and it was tough for me to pull information out of him. Here is what I got

  • Cape Code style house
  • definitely needs updating
  • said he had no interest at all in doing any updating
  • 2 to 3 bedrooms (they turned one bedroom into a dinning room)
  • 2 bath
  • Just had it appraised for 460k
  • lot size is huge at 5.7 acres (I confirmed this in the tax records)
  • House is not listed
  • they have a tenant living upstairs
  • there is no mortgage

I’m still very much learning how to work in questions and keep the seller talking and telling.  There is always something I forget to ask.  This time I forgot to ask…

  • Are there any liens on the house
  • how quickly do they need to sell the place (how do you ask this question without trying to make it sound like Im trying to take advantage of their situation?)

I also need to get a little smoother and more confident sounding, but I’m sure that’ll come with time.  Another item I need work on is determining motivation.  Sure it sounds easy, I am just never completely positive that a caller is motivated.  It’s not like they will come out and say I need to sell this house in two weeks, do they?

boo yea!

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Comments 7

  1. At this point I can't make any appointments because I am unable to drive anyplace after my foot surgery. I've been partnering up with Bruce who is going out a seeing these properties. Thanks for making sure i follow through with the calls. Unfortunately this seller turned out to not be motivated and wouldnt budge from the appraisers price of $460k.

  2. Possibly in about 2 weeks when the doc will take the pins out. Would you believe on of the pins is over 4 inches long?

  3. Hey scott…This is your cousin 🙂 I just stumbled across this and thought I'd offer a little advice even if it is 3 months later, haha. I used to determine people's motivation just by finding out why they are selling the house. That will tell you A LOT. They can't afford it, they've already moved into a new house, it was a family member who passed away and they are the executor etc…all pretty motivated situations. “just testing the market” type answers..not so motivated. But just asking why they are selling, is an easy way to find out their motivation.

  4. Hey Kristen! Good to see family reading my blog 🙂 That's good advice and I couldn't agree more. Dealing with probate properties do you think that question is still as affective?

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