Off-market properties are notoriously difficult to find. When you locate them, however, you find yourself first in line to potentially grab a highly profitable piece of real estate or investment property. Many people completely ignore looking for off-market leads just because they can be difficult to find, but with the right know-how, you can generate off-market property leads in a consistent, successful fashion. The key to doing this: social media. To get you started, here are seven tactics for finding leads for off-market properties by using social media:
1. Find Brokers on Social Media
If you can locate the profiles of brokers on social media, you’ll have a wealth of information regarding properties that are both off-market, or that are just hitting the market. With this heads up, you can begin research on whether it could provide your next all-star real estate investment before the competition. Getting to a profitable property before others is half the equation in succeeding in real estate investment, so this is one of the most crucial steps on this list. You may even find valuable co-investors for your real estate ventures as you implement this useful strategy.
2. Use Built-In Social Media Search Engines
Social media is often seen as simply being a place to keep up with friends. However, social media is full of hyper-specific, business-centric sites these days. From LinkedIn to other popular professional-social sites, the number of places you can find leads is nearly endless. More specifically, however, using built-in social media search engines to search for off-market properties can give you the edge over competitors. Facebook marketplace and other similar areas of social media sites can be useful in this regard as well.
3. Join Homeowner Groups on Social Media
Homeowner groups abound on social media sites. Knowing where to find homeowner groups that are specific to the areas you’re looking to invest in is key. With access to these groups, you can begin keeping an eye on owners who are considering putting their house on the market, before it actually hits the market. You can then cultivate a relationship with the homeowner, and make yourself a shoo-in for purchasing the property for investment if the home does go up for sale.
4. Google Alerts Can Lead to Fantastic Leads
Google Alerts is one of the most useful resources for any businessperson looking for fresh leads. This is true for those in real estate as well, as property sales and other property alerts can be tracked using this technology. While some alerts will simply be fresh on the market leads, there are tons of opportunities to find off-market leads as well. Simply learning the ins and outs of how to effectively utilize Google Alerts will allow you to use social media to boost your real estate investment profits. You will need to have your funding options ready because these properties will go quickly and you may miss out by not having a lender ready to help you.
5. Use Your Own Social Media Account to Solicit Leads
Being direct with your wants as a businessperson can lead to lots of opportunities you might have otherwise missed out on. Simply posting on your personal social media, or business social media profile, about a desire for off-market leads in the property realm, is highly recommended. Just make sure you do not flood your connections’ feeds with these requests, or the algorithms on social media may begin hiding your content. If you add many friends and organizations that are directly tied to property investment and off-market leads, this strategy will work much more efficiently. Millennials are actually buying homes and property through social media these days, so never underestimate how social media sites can lead you to amazing investment opportunities.
6. Locate Auction Communities on Social Media
Auction communities are a fantastic source for anyone looking to buy up products they can resale and invest in. Real estate is especially relevant when browsing and keeping tabs on auction communities. Social media is full of these types of communities, and off-market property leads (or leads that are only listed on these more obscure sites), so be sure to seriously utilize this useful tip. You may need to do some serious digging before finding these types of communities, but you’ll find them with the right amount of effort. With a profitable off-market lead in your hands, you’ll be glad you put the effort in.
7. Connect Your Social Media to Zillow and Trulia
While not off-market, Zillow and Trulia can still lead you to leads that are so fresh that they might as well be off-market. By connecting your social media accounts to property listers, you’ll get notifications about potential investments much sooner than your competitors. With the right know-how and tech-savvy, you’ll be able to use this tip in a highly efficient manner during your search for off-market properties to invest in.
Be Vigilant In Your Efforts
Finally, it’s crucial that you keep your nose to the grindstone when implementing these off-market property lead generation strategies. Without a will to find leads before anyone else, the 24/7 buzz generation that’s happening on social media will be difficult to navigate. With the right grit and determination, however, you’ll be locating amazing off-market properties to invest in incredibly soon.
