A buyers list is not a spreadsheet of emails. It is a small group of people who have closed with you or who have proven they can. Fifteen real buyers beat three thousand addresses.
Where to find them
- Public records: cash deed transfers in your county over the last 12 months, filtered for repeat grantees and LLCs.
- Hard money lender mortgage filings — the borrower is an active flipper by definition.
- Local REIA and investor meetups; sit near the front and ask what they closed last.
- Marketplaces such as RehabFlow, where buyers publish buy boxes and proof of funds.
- Property managers — they know which owners are still buying rentals.
- For-rent signs in your target ZIPs; landlords with three or more are buyers.
Qualify in one call
- 1What did you buy in the last 90 days, and where?
- 2Cash, hard money, or a partner's capital?
- 3What is your maximum all-in price and your minimum return?
- 4Which conditions do you refuse?
- 5How fast can you walk a property, and how fast can you close?
- 6Can you send proof of funds today?
Tier your list
A-buyers get the deal first for 24 hours. B-buyers get it next. Everyone else gets the public post. Your A-tier exists because they closed on time, not because they replied fastest.
What buyers need in the first message
- Address, or at minimum the exact block and ZIP.
- Asking price and your assignment fee, stated plainly.
- ARV with the three comps behind it.
- Repair scope with photos of the worst rooms, not the best.
- Occupancy status and access instructions.
- Deadline for offers and the target closing date.
Retention beats acquisition
Never sell a buyer a deal you would not underwrite yourself. One bad ARV costs you the relationship and everything they would have bought from you for the next three years. Send an honest "this one doesn't work" occasionally — it is the cheapest trust you will ever buy.
Put this to work
Browse live off-market New York deals, or list one and get it in front of verified cash buyers.