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Driving for dollars: how to find motivated sellers in person
Driving for dollars means driving or walking neighborhoods to spot properties that look neglected, then tracing the owner. It finds houses that never show up on a list, but it is slow unless you stay organized.
What to look for
- Overgrown lawns or piled-up yard waste
- Boarded or broken windows and damaged roofs
- Stacked mail, flyers or newspapers
- Code-enforcement notices on the door
- Vacant look: no vehicles, no window coverings, no lights
Log everything on the spot
Note the address and what you saw as you go. A phone photo of each house helps. If you wait until later, you will forget which house was which.
Find the owner
Look the address up in the county's records for the owner's name and mailing address, then skip trace for a phone number. A letter to the mailing address works even without a number.
Stay safe and legal
- Stay on public property. Don't walk onto a yard or enter a building.
- Don't leave marketing on mailboxes. In the US that is restricted to the postal service.
- Be honest about who you are when you reach the owner.
Where BAP fits
On your phone, BAP lets you search an address or use your location to see the owner details and distress signals on record, then save the property to your pipeline. Only properties in BAP's data show details; others can still be added.
General information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Rules vary by state; check yours.