Online sources include web sites such as www.MLS.com, www.realtor.com or www.zillow.com amongst many others you can easily find.

1.  Search online for expired and withdrawn listings and try to make a deal.
Hint: I bought a duplex with foundation issues that had sat on the market. I had the best engineering firm in the area do full analysis of foundation, geological review with soil samples and they fixed the issue with piers for under $10,000. I had thought it would be 3-4 times that. I paid what the seller purchased the building for some years back as he needed the cash and it’s working out just fine.

2.  Search online for foreclosures listings. This is typically a filter or search option on many listing websites.

3.  Search online for pre-foreclosure listings.
Hint: “Pre-foreclosure" listings typically mean that all of the properties in that category have home mortgages that are in default or at least in arrears.

4.  Search social network sites like Facebook or LinkedIn for people looking to sell.
Hint: Check us out as www.facebook.com/howmanydoors

5.  Search “for sale by owner” ads in newspapers, local classified magazines and Craigslist.

6.  Network with industry professionals like real estate agents, attorneys and CPA.
Hint: I bought a number of properties because I worked directly with the seller’s agent. I knew real estate agents love to get a higher fee by representing both parties professionally in a deal. I went around telling agents what I was looking for and how organized and low maintenance I’d be and gave references for places I bought. I told stories of how financing was ready, I was accessible, and wouldn’t walk away if the place appraised for $5,000 under selling price (I’d built that into my cash-on-cash model) and deals were brought to me. I wasn’t a big shot, just a regular guy who appeared reliable, motivated and organized.

7.  Networking with service providers: mailman, pool service, contractors, landscapers, etc.

8.  Join a local networking group such as a real estate investor club or association, or chamber of commerce. Put the word out.

9.  Work with property wholesalers, other investors. Check LinkedIn for real estate investment groups.

10.  Place a daily/weekly newspaper ad.

11.  Place an ad on Craigslist.

12.  Post ads for large employers, military bases and hospitals.
Hint: Many people move relocate and need to sell their home. You can get in ahead of the crowd.

13.  Attend HUD, county or foreclosure auctions.
HINT: A HUD home is a residential property acquired by HUD as a result of a foreclosure action on an FHA-insured mortgage. HUD Home Store is the listing site for HUD real estate owned (REO) single-family properties. www.hudhomestore.com

14.  Look for local sheriff sales.

15.  Tax deed auctions.

16.  Bandit signs: small signs by the side of the road usually nailed to a telephone pole

17.  Go find For Sale By Owner (FSBO) signs.
HINT: This is pronounced “fizz-bow” and normally means an owner is looking to avoid real estate commissions. Often these are listed on Craigslist and some listing web sites like Zillow.

18.  Look for signs of vacant homes like high weeds, no lights on. There may be a potential opportunity.

19.  Target properties with outstanding code enforcement violations.

20.  Look for fire, sinkhole, hurricane, earthquake damaged, or similar challenging properties.
Hint: I bought an amazing 4-bed 1-bath foreclosure in Florida that had a scary reference to a sinkhole. At first I freaked out and was going to pass, but I called the city and got a copy of the sinkhole documentation and then called the engineering company that worked on the issue. They informed me there was a small amount of settlement and many homes in area have this issue. The prior owner had spent over $25,000 drilling down into the bedrock and bolted the foundation to the rock and told me “off the record” it was likely to be secure for decades to come. I got another engineering firm to spend a few hours under the home, and for a $250 fee they confirmed verbally it was sound work. I ended up buying a 1,600 square foot home with granite and stainless appliances for under $50,000.

21.  Focus on properties with title problems
Hint: Buying a house with a clean title is the way to go. However some properties are listed with an issue like a tax lien or other concern that scares most buyers away. You can perform a title search to identify all the issues and isolate the maximum risk and make an offer that includes this total exposure and look to settle during closing or after knowing your total risk. I found a property with a $15,000 tax lien and was able to get an all cash offer accepted that was a good deal even when assumed I would pay the lien in full. I was able to get it settled before closing with escrow officer’s help. The listing had identified an unclean title and I did my research and moved efficiently thru a process while it was apparent the title issue put others off.

22.  Contact landlords or specifically ones with issues (like going thru an eviction) as many are motivated to sell but have decided which property or when precisely.
Hint: This is a numbers game and I get approached all the time. Occasionally I respond when the timing is right, like when I’ve got another opportunity in hand but had not had time to plan for a sale. Timing is everything.

23.  Find property owners with tax liens, judgments, or construction liens against them.
Hint: Many people fall behind on their property tax just before defaulting on their mortgage. These records are available online at county web sites. Many companies offer tax lien lists for a fee, sometimes a substantial one. Although some realtors swear by these, many scammers use this as a way to turn an easy profit so do your homework.

24.  Find the individual or company that owns the above property lien as they might sell it at a discount instead of trying to foreclose.

25.  Find property owners in bankruptcy but not yet in pre-foreclosure on their home.

26.  Post ads for large employers, military bases and hospitals. Many people relocate and need to sell their home. You can get in ahead of the crowd.

27.  Search through government sources of inventory. Occasionally entities like the IRS, US Customs, FDIC, SBA, USDA, VA and your state’s department of revenue have properties for sale.

28.  Search out probate properties and estate sales in your local neighborhood. Call probate attorneys.

29.  Search for divorced sale properties. Contact divorce attorneys.

30.  Hire a bird dog. Pay someone (a bird dog) to locate deals for you. They do the research and street work.
Hint: Make sure its not illegal in your state and get references from them