If you want the best deals in investment properties, you can increase your odds by finding more deals. Who's more likely to get a cheap apartment building, an investor looking through the MLS listings and calling it a day, or the one that uses ten resources? Here are the ten:

1. Talk to people. Let them know you are looking and sometimes the properties will come to you. There are many owners out there who want to sell, but haven't yet listed their property.

2. Use internet search engines. Type in the type of real estate you are looking for, along with the city you want to invest in. You never know what you can find until you try.

3. Look for "For Sale By Owner" signs. Owners sometimes don't want to pay to keep the ad in the paper every week, so you won't see all properties there.

4. Look for abandoned properties. Abandonment may be a sign that the owner doesn't want to deal with the property, and he might sell cheap.

5. Call on old "For Rent" ads. Landlords are often ready to sell, especially if the haven't yet rented the units out. Just look in a two-week-old paper.

6. Talk to bank officers. You may get a foreclosed-on investment property cheaper if you buy it before they list it with a real estate agent.

7. Offer a finder's fee. There are people that always seem to hear about good deals. Have such people coming to you, by offering a finders fee.

8. Eviction notices. If local papers publish eviction notices, or if you can get the information at the courthouse, use it. A landlord who just went through the procees of evicting tenants is very likely interested in selling.

9. Call on old FSBO ads. Call on two-month-old "For sale By Owner" ads, and if they haven't sold, they may be ready to deal. Owners sometimes give up the effort, but still would love to sell. Help them out!

10. Run an ad in the paper. "Looking for investment properties," might be sufficient to generate a few calls.



Steve Gillman has invested in real estate for years. To learn more, and to see a photo of a beautiful house he and his wife bought for $17,500, visit HousesUnderFiftyThousand.com

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