How to get a stranger to sell property
July 11, 2007 2:55 AM Subscribe
Please suggest a good approach to a real estate owner for a possible sale.
Mrs. Bucket and I are in the process of searching for a piece of real estate to build a house on. As the region we are interested in has few vacant lots, I was happy to have recently discovered an empty lot in a sweet spot.
I am about to obtain the contact address of the owner and my question is:
How can I best approach this person?
My fear is not that the owner will say no right away. That is a very probable outcome I would accept.
However, what if the person might actually have played with the thought of selling said property but might be scared off by a complete stranger approaching him and bluntly asking about a sale?
I want to be as careful and friendly as possible while still being direct enough.
Any ideas as how to go about this?
Mrs. Bucket and I are in the process of searching for a piece of real estate to build a house on. As the region we are interested in has few vacant lots, I was happy to have recently discovered an empty lot in a sweet spot.
I am about to obtain the contact address of the owner and my question is:
How can I best approach this person?
My fear is not that the owner will say no right away. That is a very probable outcome I would accept.
However, what if the person might actually have played with the thought of selling said property but might be scared off by a complete stranger approaching him and bluntly asking about a sale?
I want to be as careful and friendly as possible while still being direct enough.
Any ideas as how to go about this?
Best answer: I'm a real estate agent in the US (I can't say what things would be like in Germany), but here that's a very common practice and very effective way to purchase property.
Often, if the person doesn't live in the area any more, they may or may not know the current value of the land, and will welcome the opportunity to unload an unused piece of property for a tidy profit.
Just approach them directly, ask them if they would be interested in selling property X, ask if they have a price in mind. If they come in way too high, tell them the average price per meter in the area, and counter with a reasonable offer.
My only suggestion is don't go in with too low of an offer. If they do know what they're doing, in terms of land value, they might not bother with someone they feel is wasting their time.
posted by shinynewnick at 5:12 AM on July 11, 2007 [1 favorite]
Often, if the person doesn't live in the area any more, they may or may not know the current value of the land, and will welcome the opportunity to unload an unused piece of property for a tidy profit.
Just approach them directly, ask them if they would be interested in selling property X, ask if they have a price in mind. If they come in way too high, tell them the average price per meter in the area, and counter with a reasonable offer.
My only suggestion is don't go in with too low of an offer. If they do know what they're doing, in terms of land value, they might not bother with someone they feel is wasting their time.
posted by shinynewnick at 5:12 AM on July 11, 2007 [1 favorite]
Best answer: "Hello, Mr. (so and so), my name is (X) and I am calling you about a piece of land on (Y), how are you?
The reason for my call is that I am looking to build a home around here, and I was wondering if you may consider selling your land to me directly?
(If yes), Ok, what price range would work for you?
What kind of terms would you be interested in?
Would you like to cash out or will you prefer to carry the papers? (If so - How much would you like as down payment?)
(If no), is there a price in mind that that will cause you to agree for such a sale?
(If no), Do you know of anybody else around here who might be looking to sell?"
< i've used this successfully 100's of times; you won't have to change a single word of it>
posted by growabrain at 8:15 AM on July 11, 2007 [2 favorites]
The reason for my call is that I am looking to build a home around here, and I was wondering if you may consider selling your land to me directly?
(If yes), Ok, what price range would work for you?
What kind of terms would you be interested in?
Would you like to cash out or will you prefer to carry the papers? (If so - How much would you like as down payment?)
(If no), is there a price in mind that that will cause you to agree for such a sale?
(If no), Do you know of anybody else around here who might be looking to sell?"
< i've used this successfully 100's of times; you won't have to change a single word of it>
posted by growabrain at 8:15 AM on July 11, 2007 [2 favorites]
Growabrain's got it right. Bear in mind that some pieces of property are not for sale; there is no point in badgering someone who clearly knows that they don't wish to sell.
posted by ikkyu2 at 11:27 PM on July 11, 2007
posted by ikkyu2 at 11:27 PM on July 11, 2007
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by Glow Bucket at 3:48 AM on July 11, 2007