4359191484?profile=originalIn many locales, the attorney’s contact information is contained in our list of probated properties. It raises the question of whether you as a real estate agent or investor should make contact with the attorney involved in the estate.

This provocative question was posed in an interesting forum discussion on Bigger Pockets, raising several arguments for and against reaching out to the attorney that has their footprint in the probate case. To get the global view, read the entire discussion here.

In my own personal view, I believe that if your marketing budget persists, it is overall a good practice to contact the attorney, “leading in” with the probated property in question, but then launching into how you can be of value in other probate cases that come across the attorney’s desk. Some subscribers of our data use this strategy to get future referrals from that attorney. Of course, this takes time and the attorney has to see you in action to truly cement trust, but to the extent that attorney referrals can be a source of leads, I think that it is well worth it to get the conversation rolling with legal counsel.

Of course, if you do decide to contact the attorney, it should be in addition to, and not a substitute to contacting the Personal Representative, better known as the executor, who has the most influence into how the estate is settled because the Court has assigned them with the fiduciary duty of equitably divvying up the estate.

Scratching your head as to what to say to the probate attorney? Here is a sample letter that I came across as food for thought:
http://www.probateleads.net/SampleAttorneyLetter.doc (Word file)

I will elicit the thoughts of others – including yours – and update this post once the feedback comes in, so check back soon.

Until next time, A-B-C …. Always Be Closing.

 

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Comments

  • In my area, the trouble is most lawyers are also licensed brokers. I have even seen them listing properties as a realtor concurrently.

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