Marcello,
Go to house. Knock on door. When owner answers, introduce yourself, and say something like “I noticed your house and was wondering if you might be interested in selling.” Use the soft approach. Don’t say “I’m an investor and I was hoping to buy your house” or anything like that. Just be nice and see if the seller would even consider it. If not, leave your card and tell them to call if they ever change their mind.
To get value, check compareable properties, if there are any. Don’t forget the location and view.
To check out the zoning, go to the local planning and zoning department of the local county and ask.
Good luck,
BillW.
I am new to REI and I would like to find some good courses to take in the San Diego area. Any suggestions? Any idea how I would find some of these.
Also, on another note, although I am mostly interested in small and medium sized apartments, I recently discovered a peice of property on top of a hill with an incredible view (270 degrees of ocean!). Anyhow, there is a house, but the only window that even takes advantage of this view is a tiny (about 2 by 4 feet) window that could just be a bathroom window. Now, I have not checked any zoning, but I am thinking that with some basic remoldling, the value of this house could increase dramatically. My question is this. HOw should I appraoch the present owner? Also, how do I find what I should reasonably offer? Lastly, what is the proccess for checking out the zoning to make sure that if I bought the property I could actually make the changes I am thinking?