Checking a whole lot of classified websites every day can really become a headache – not to mention very time consuming. Sure you could hire a virtual assistant to do the checking. But that costs money. The first choice of successful investors is to automate their systems and processes, especially when that automation is free.
The web is coming up with all kinds of ways to automate anything having to do with information. One way to find a bunch of information and consolidate it is to use RSS readers.
RSS stands for Rich Site Summary and has been around for several years. It’s software that can be added to a website. With an RSS feed, you can grab certain information from the website and deliver it right to your ‘feed reader’ or even send it to your email inbox.
The big daddy of RSS readers used to be Google Reader. It was free and easy to use. Content could be delivered straight to your Gmail account.
But Google decided to cancel the service. I have no idea why. In fact, if you go to their site now, you will see a link directing you to a list of other RSS readers. You can also click here to see the list.
With all the RSS readers on the list, you might wonder which one to choose. They are all pretty easy to set up, so you might want to browse a couple and see which one you like.
Setting Up Motivated Seller Posts
For all the RSS readers out there, the procedure to add a feed is very similar. First you need to set up your Craigslist search. We are using Craigslist here, but you can also set up searches in Backpage, Oodle or any other classified site where people post houses for sale. Think of sites like ForSaleByOwner as well.
Head over to Craigslist for your area, and select ‘real estate for sale’ in the apartment and housing section.
When that section comes up, put in some search parameters. For motivated sellers, we would recommend you start with ‘by owner.’ Craigslist used to have check boxes to select whether you want to search ‘by owner,’ ‘by broker’ or ‘both,’ but they seem to have removed that feature. You want to deal with the motivated sellers directly, not with a real estate agent.
Here are some other search terms to put in the search box:
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Must Sell
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Motivated Seller
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Handyman
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No agents
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Serious Buyers Only
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Moving
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Owner Financing
The search should give you a nice big list. Then scroll down to the RSS button at the bottom of the page, and right click on it. You will see a menu where you can select ‘Copy Link.’
Once you have the link, head over to your RSS feed reader, select an ‘Add content’ button and paste the link where it asks. Here is an example from a very popular feed reader called Feedly:
For the Mac, a popular RSS feed reader that seems to work is Schrook. Here is an example from Schrook of having a ‘Must Sell feed set up from Craigslist:
Once you have these set up, you can set up lots of different searches in just one place. Then you can just check your list at your convenience to jump on the great deals as they appear.
How to Search Outside Your Area
Craigslist is nice if you pick a particular town to search, but suppose you want to look for motivated sellers across several areas? One way you could do it is to set up several different RSS feeds with other local towns near your area.
But to make it simpler, we found a website that will make it easier to set up one feed that covers a large area. Head on over to the Search Tempest site.
The front page of the site has a box (see above) that shows all the parameters you would like to search for in Craigslist. You can select the category and Sub-category, then put in Keywords – just like you do in Craigslist.
The difference with Search Tempest is that you can select a radius around your zip code or area to search. You will see right under the ‘where’ box a dropdown box to select ‘Within’ a certain number of miles of your area. The dropdown goes out to 4,000 miles, so you can even search internationally.
Once you have the parameters set up, hit ‘search’ to see the list. At the top of the list, you will see ‘Get Alerts for Your Search.’ If you click on that, Search Tempest will give you step-by-step instructions on either sending the searches to your email, or setting up the searches in your RSS reader.
Search Tempest does it a little differenly than the Craigslist. They have you download a file that you can then upload to your RSS reader. But the results are the same.
Becoming a real estate mogul is all about finding the great deals. One great way to find leads for those deals is to set up RSS feeds of many different sites.
Tips and Tricks
Got any other RSS tips or tricks? Share below.
Learn how to use RSS – It’s a powerful web tool that can deliver a whole bunch of leads in one place for you.
Actively search for leads – Deals take a while to complete. Don’t give up searching when you find one. Keep looking for the next one.
Cast a wide net – Don’t just look on Craigslist. You never know where the next great deal will appear.
Network for other investors – Set up a search for wholesalers, then have them add you to their buyer’s list and share yours with them. You can immediately expand your potential buyer’s list exponentially – even if you have to give a commission to the wholesaler if you have the deal and he has the buyer.
JP Moses
is a real estate investor in Memphis, TN, with experience ranging from land lording to note buying, rehabbing, and wholesaling. However, wholesaling is the area that he enjoys most and where he bring the most experience and expertise to his students.