Tired landlord leads: how to talk to owners who want out

What is a tired landlord lead?

It is the owner of a rental home who is worn out by the work. Repairs, late rent, vacancies and rising costs add up. When the numbers stop making sense, some owners are ready to sell and walk away.

A tired landlord is often an individual who owns one to a few houses and manages them alone. They are not a big company with a team. That makes them easier to reach and, often, easier to deal with directly.

Not every landlord who gets a call is tired, and some will tell you to stop. The aim is to find the owner who has already been thinking about selling.

Why do landlords decide to sell?

Common reasons are repairs they do not want to pay for, tenants who are hard to manage, rising taxes and insurance, and a rent that no longer covers the costs. Some owners live far from the property and cannot keep up.

• The property no longer makes money after taxes, insurance and repairs.
• A tenant is behind on rent or has left the home in poor shape.
• The owner moved away and cannot manage the house from a distance.
• The owner is retiring and wants to cash out.
• The home needs a big repair the owner does not want to fund.

These are common patterns, not a rule for any one owner. Ask each landlord why they are thinking about selling, and let them tell you.

How do I find tired landlords on DrivenSellers?

In the Data Pool, pick the Tired landlord or Absentee owner filter, choose a county or a whole state, and pull the matches. Each property costs $0.20. Up to 5 members can hold the same record.

The two filters work like this:

• Absentee owner: the owner lives somewhere other than the property.
• Tired landlord: a quick pick for rental owners who may be ready to sell.
• Owner occupied: the opposite. You cannot combine it with the two above.

The Data Pool sells individual owners only, never companies, and never homes that are listed for sale. Every property you pay for has a phone or an e-mail. It is a shared list, so it is not an exclusive lead.

On the exclusive feed, the card has an Occupancy fact, so you can see when a home is tenant occupied before you pay. Every exclusive lead is guaranteed for 5 days: a 5-day refund window if it is not as described.

What should I ask about tenants?

Ask whether the home is rented, when the lease ends, how much rent comes in, and whether the tenant pays on time. A lease usually stays in force after a sale, so the buyer takes on the tenant and the deposit.

Tenant rules differ by state and by city. Learn them before you offer, and never contact a tenant to pressure them.

How do I talk to a tired landlord?

Start with the property, not the price. Ask how it is going and what would make life easier. Offer to buy as is, with no showings and no repairs. Many landlords care more about ease than about the last dollar.

• Say who you are and that you buy homes as they are.
• Ask what is hardest about the rental right now.
• Ask how soon they would like to be done.
• Explain how and when they would be paid, in simple words.
• Offer to follow up in writing, then do it.

Keep notes in MyCRM and set a follow-up date. A landlord who says not now may call you when the next repair bill arrives.

What should I check before I make an offer?

Look at rent, expenses, repairs and the lease, and check liens and back taxes. Then work out what the home is worth to you as a rental or a flip. A rented home can be worth more or less than an empty one.

If you buy the property data add-on in the Data Pool, you also get estimated value, equity, assessed value, beds, baths, year built and more, for an extra $0.20 per property. A title company can confirm liens and the owner's name.

To compare a Data Pool pull with an exclusive lead, read shared vs exclusive leads.

What if the owner tells me to stop calling?

Stop, and record it. Thank them, mark the record in MyCRM, and do not call or text again. Honoring a request to stop is the law in many places, and it also protects your name in a small market.

Check the Do-Not-Call lists before you dial. In the Data Pool, numbers on the list and known litigators are flagged on every record, so you see them before you call.

Ready to look at real cards? Make a free account and open a few. No card is needed to look.