Nothing happens and nothing matters in real estate until you find a deal.  You cannot put together a deal without a motivated seller and you can only convince a motivated seller to do something creative or that involves a discounted price.  A motivated seller is one with a very good and pressing reason to sell below market.

The most common problem new investors face is finding bargain properties.  Many who start out in real estate investing quit without ever buying their first property.  They go through the motions of looking for deals for a few weeks or months and then decide it doesn't work.  They forget that finding motivated sellers is similar to the salesman finding his first customer . . .  it takes persistence and hard work.

FIND THE MOTIVATED SELLER

At the cost of sounding redundant, the concept is simple: find motivated sellers that are willing to sell their properties at a discounted price or "soft" terms.  Currently, the real estate market in some parts of the country is hot, hot, hot!  Many people are complaining that the strength of the market precludes investors from finding deals on properties.  The popular misconception is that in a rising market, even the most motivated seller can find a buyer for his property at full market price.

The truth is, you can find deals in ANY market.  Real estate legend A.D. Kessler once said, "There are no problem properties, just problem ownerships."  The definition of a motivated seller fits squarely within Kessler's idea.  A logical person knows that time, money and effort can solve virtually any real estate problem.  However, some people are too emotional about their real estate problems or have other motivating issues to deal with.

Some of these issues include:

      · Divorce

      · Lack of concern

      · Inexperience with real estate repairs

      · Time constraints

      · Death of a loved one

      · Job transfer

      · Landlording headaches

      · Impending foreclosure & other financial problems