Buy Probate Leads
Expand your real estate portfolio by finding probate leads from public records, auctions, or referrals. You may also choose to purchase them from paid sources. However, to succeed in this process, you must first understand what probate leads are, along with the pros and cons. Probate properties are usually priced at a reduced rate, allowing investors and real estate flippers to make larger margins. The downside includes the purchasing timeline and potential for increased expenses for attorney fees, estate executors, and filing fees.
buy probate leads
Unlike standard real estate transactions, the process of purchasing probate properties can be a bit more complicated. Read our four steps to finding probate leads and buying probate properties to understand the process and make profitable purchasing decisions.
Purchasing probate real estate at a significant discount is attractive to real estate investors, but it comes with its risks. Before determining whether you would like to use probate leads as a strategy to acquire real estate, consider all the pros and cons of this real estate investing strategy. Although there are many benefits to this niche market, there are downsides every investor should be aware of.
Every probate sale is unique, so real estate investors must continuously weigh the pros and cons of a probate sale to determine if they will use this investment strategy. Investors should determine if the discounted property outweighs the unknown timeline for finalizing a purchase.
Once you have access to the active probate files, you must read through the assets to see if any real estate is listed. If you find an opportunity within the files, you can proceed to contact the executor or administrator of the case to inquire about the real estate.
Real estate investors can also buy probate leads. This option is more costly, with monthly subscription fees and limited access depending on your preferred state and county. These online lead providers digitize and make access to probate lead information easy for realtors and investors. Leads are typically segregated by state and county since probate cases are filed in the county where the person lived. Here are a few of the top providers to purchase probate leads:
Another way to get probate leads is through referral relationships with probate and estate attorneys. They would be the best resource to get probate leads before it becomes public because they work alongside the executors and beneficiaries to settle an estate. Their expertise includes recording the assets of an estate, helping to pay the liabilities owed, and distributing the assets of the estate. Therefore, they would know if real estate is associated with an estate and the current plans for it.
If purchasing probate property is the majority of your business model, then investors should market themselves as probate investors to generate leads in your area. Investors can create marketing materials that drive business from surviving spouses, probate attorneys, real estate agents, etc.
Investors can begin with a simple website that legitimizes your business, along with landing pages with specific language and calls to action to drive visitors to submit leads. Other marketing materials that can be dispersed within a neighborhood are flyers and postcards discussing your specialty and familiarity with probate properties. You may even want to offer incentives to your leads if a deal closes.
To assist with developing your website and landing page designs, enlist the help of Placester. It offers customizable websites that can be launched instantly with tools to help generate and capture incoming leads. Websites can be created yourself, or their website designers can create one for you. For leads generated through the site, they offer a customer relationship manager (CRM), which helps keep track of lead contact information.
Much like partnering with probate attorneys who work with executors, partnering with a certified probate real estate specialist (CPRES) is a great way to obtain probate real estate leads. The CPRES will work with the families involved to help them navigate the probate process. They are trained to understand the nuances of the probate court system, assisting families in understanding the legal steps and upcoming deadlines.
A CPRES also helps families market and sell the real estate involved in the probate process, and they are therefore able to help find buyers for the properties. Partnering with a CPRES can be a beneficial way to get probate listings that have motivated sellers. There are a few ways to find a CPRES. You can search LinkedIn for someone with CPRES in their title, and U.S. Probate Services has a directory of probate vendors like attorneys and real estate agents listed on their site.
Once a property is ready for sale in probate, it typically will be auctioned off for a quick sale or by order of a judge if the beneficiaries involved are unable to agree to sale terms. Find auctions through your county website, newspapers, or even some real estate agents who may have insight.
Finding out how to get probate leads is the initial challenge to the probate process, but after obtaining the leads, you must go through the purchasing process. The length of a probate sale process can extend from six to 12 months due to court involvement. Traditional real estate transactions usually take up to two months to complete, with the motivation of both buyer and seller.
Each state does have its own probate process, which can vary widely. Many states have adopted the Uniform Probate Code, streamlining the probate process and assisting with minimizing costs. Additionally, each state has defined probate thresholds.
For example, in California, you can avoid probate entirely if the estate value is $166,250 or less. However, in Michigan, the estate value must be $15,000 or less, but no real estate can be included. So if a real estate investor is looking to purchase a potential probate property in an estate valued less than $166,250 in California, they may not have to go through the probate process at all.
Once your offer is accepted, the probate court will set a time for a hearing to finalize the sale. During this court hearing, other buyers may show up to try to outbid you during the probate hearing. At this point, the judge will proceed to increase the price of the property, and in order to secure the purchase, you must outbid other buyers, if any.
If you successfully become the highest bidder for the property during the court hearing, you will proceed to submit paperwork to certify the purchase. Probate properties usually are distressed, and therefore may not qualify for traditional financing methods like a mortgage. As a default, most probate purchase agreements have no loan contingency, meaning if you cannot get your loan financed in time, then you will lose your deposit. The seller may also accept an all-cash offer if they prefer.
Finally, a sales contract will be provided by the probate judge or the estate representative for signature. Once a contract is signed, no other bids are accepted, and then the courts will proceed with probate proceedings, which can take up to 12 months to complete.
If you are looking for a way to expand your real estate business, probate leads can be an excellent source of new leads. Finding the right probate lead provider is essential, as there are many options available and each one may cater to different needs. In this guide, we will go over the best ways to get quality probate leads as well as some of the top probate lead providers.
Some counties have websites dedicated to their probate division. Other counties might include information about probate court proceedings on a broader county governance website. If the latter is the case, search the website menu for a Probate section.
To make a records request to the probate court, you will need to follow the specific instructions for the courthouse you are requesting the records from. In general, you can expect the following process:
Depending on how this process works at your courthouse, you might find it worth getting probate leads yourself. If the process is time-consuming or highly-restrictive, continue reading to explore more options.
One way to find probate leads for free is by networking with probate professionals and asking for lead referrals for real estate. Probate professionals, such as attorneys and fiduciaries, may come across potential probate property leads as part of their work and be willing to pass along the information to you.
Keep in mind that networking with probate professionals can be a slow and unpredictable way to find leads. However, if you are able to build a strong network, it can be a valuable source of free probate leads.
Online property look-up tools, such as Propelio and Propstream, can be useful resources for researching probate leads. These tools allow you to search for property records and other relevant information, such as ownership history, tax records, and liens, in order to get a better understanding of the property and its potential value.
US Probate Leads has been providing probate lead lists for over 12 years and furnishes lists for almost every county in the country. US Probate Leads appends their lead lists with PR phone number information and offers no-obligation probate leads data samples for prospective customers. Probate Leads are packaged by county and are delivered monthly with no commitment.
Also called probatesdaily.com, ForeclosuresDaily has been working in the real estate lead business since 2004. Widely recognized by top influencers in the real estate investment space like Brent Daniels and Pace Morby, their no-frills probate leads and mailing sequence makes it easy for customers to target probate leads with property to sell. Simply choose your target market and automate your mailing with their 4 to 6-step mailing campaign.
Also called succesordata.com, Morry Eghbal is an innovative and entrepreneurial real estate professional who uses his passion for data technology to simplify the work of other business owners like himself. The CRM is designed in such a way that probate lead purchases are not bound by county. Free online mail-merge with the option to add automated mailings at a flat rate, to both personal representatives and attorneys. 041b061a72