Posted by Adam (NY) on March 08, 2002 at 17:25:08:
My parents live next door. We kind of know who the relatives are, but not where they live. Its just going to take time.
Adam
Vacant House(Owner Died) - Posted by Adam (NY)
Posted by Adam (NY) on March 08, 2002 at 03:01:25:
OK, here’s the problem. While I was down in New orleans I cam accross a property where the owner had died. I went to the New Orleans tax assessor and fofound out that the house is still in the deceased mans name. The taxes have not been paid since 2000. Total due $1340. The FMV of the house in 2000 was $39,500. It needs a rehab and could be made into a 2 unit rental. My problem is this: im trying to locate his relatives because they are suppose to split the house’s value. No one has tried to sell it yet, someone comes by every so often to cut the grass, but other than that nothing. Since I live in New York I have someone looking out for the “grass cutter” to get some info. But until then im trying to locate then through net searches. Can anyone help in this regard?
When I do find then how do I go about asking about the house. They have never placed a for sale sign on it. The house is starting to fall apart. I want to get my hands on it because I know I can make some money from it.
Any help you can give me would be appreciated. This would be my first deal, so I am looking forward to it.
Adam
Re: Vacant House(Owner Died) - Posted by Tim Fierro (Tacoma, WA)
Posted by Tim Fierro (Tacoma, WA) on March 08, 2002 at 09:18:18:
Could it be that the owner lived there for a long period of time? Enough to have been noticed by the neighbors? If it was an elderly person, maybe one of the neighbors was given an emergency contact phone for relatives. You have someone looking for the grass cutter, would they be willing to ask around the immediate neighbors to see if anyone knows where the family is located and how many there are; and names? One might pop back with the info you need.
Re: Vacant House(Owner Died) - Posted by Mike Daly
Posted by Mike Daly on March 08, 2002 at 05:20:42:
Your best bet for finding the relatives is a private investigator. Once you’ve made contact, just say you’re a serious investor and you can pay all cash and close quickly, and what’s the least they’d be willing to take (standard Ron LeGrand offer.) You may run into difficulties in getting all the heirs to agree on your offer, and the house could still be in probate, but be patient. If you keep following up with them consistently, you’re much more likely to get the deal.
Mike
Mike