Zero Risk Real Estate: Creating Wealth Through Tax Liens and Tax Deeds

Recruiting Local Help

If it is not practical to personally visit the property, then you need some help. Fortunately, help is close by. A quick call to a local real estate office can put you in touch with a professional who knows the area firsthand. You can certainly ask them about the property or neighborhood, indicating that you have an interest in it, and that if you pursue it, you may be interested in speaking with them about using their services to market it later on. If you do this, however, be respectful of their time and effort and reward them if you do end up purchasing a few properties.

You can also find help on Craigslist. There are plenty of people who would be glad to take a couple of hours and drive by some homes to take pictures or even some video footage for you. Hire them for a few hours at $10 per hour, and tell them exactly what you want: 6 to 10 pictures of every angle of the property, or video footage as they walk around it. They can then e-mail you the picture and video files, and you send them a check or pay them via PayPal. This method has worked great for me, and I find students are the best recruits.

Another way to get some local help is by calling a lawn care company or snow removal service. Tell them you want an estimate on the property, and since you have never personally visited the property, you would like their estimate to include some quick pictures to match up with their bid. If you do end up getting the property, you’ll have to hire them anyway. ...