Looking to buy an occupied home at a trustee auction, yes I know and fully understand that it is best to go after homes that are vacant. And that there are horror stories out there. However if I do want to try to look into buying a home that is occupied home, wondering if anyone has ideas about how to approach the occupants, a sample letter to send them, things like that.
thanks
Hi Walid,
You never know who is living there and what frame of mind they are in when you knock on the door. The approach I have seen work is to first ask them if they are aware that the property is in foreclosure. Sometimes they do not know or they don’t understand what that means. You want to find some common ground to get them talking. Whether they are tenants or occupants both have rights in the process. If you begin by finding out if they know about the foreclosure and then help them by answering questions about the foreclosure and eviction process you have not successfully started a conversation.
If I believe I am talking to the owner I will always say something like “homeownership is the American Dream but America is also the land of second chances”. Say something that provides hope and says you are not there to be judgmental.
If you knock at the door and a hostile person tells you that they will burn the house down before they leave then that helps you determine whether or not this is something you want to pursue.
It is ironic that you are asking this question today because yesterday a Sheriff and civilian (we are being told it was the locksmith) were killed when they went to evict an owner in Modesto. The property had a value of 40-50k and the investor purchased it for under 15k at trustee sale. As of last night the property was engulfed in flames. I only tell you this story because you never know the pain or mental state of the person living in the house and you should always be very cautious.
thanks Michelle, this is the kind of ideas i was looking for.
yes i did just read the shooting and the fire (after you mentioned it), and they say a burnt body was found in the house. how sad…
My thought is to try to talk to them or if i see someone outside initiate a conversation or even drop a letter in the mail box.
thanks again…