Hello. There is 70 acres that borders ours on two sides that we would like to buy. The family has owned it for at least 100 years. 7 or so years ago I wrote the owner on the east coast that if he ever wanted to sell to let me know. I never heard from him which is what I expected. He never lived here and was last here to see the place 30 years ago. Last spring I decided to Google search him and he had died the year before. Last week I decided I would contact his wife. Google search and she died last summer. They have one adult child that is also on the east coast and has no kids(based on obituary). I don't really want to wait to contact in case I hear that it was up for sale and sold before I even hear about it. Not sure if it is too early to contact after last parent passed away 3 months ago? Try to get a phone number and call out of the blue? Send a letter by mail? They have a hobby business website. Send a message on that? I am good friends with the local realtor. Have him contact so it is more professional? What are your thoughts? Thank you for your time.

I am good friends with the local realtor.

That's how I would begin.

Nothing wrong with contacting them. Tell them what you told us.

Yes, contact them what ever way you can. If it is an heir, just say you are sorry to hear about their ?. Tell them you had contacted them before about the property and just thought you would contact them again. Give them your email addy, your phone # if they do not say yes we are ready to sell.

45 years as a real estate broker so pm me any time and I will give you my phone #.

TrapperKent

Agree. Leave the realtor out of it.

3 months has all the legal transfer had enough time to be completed yet?

I would not wait to contact them. Someone is going to be the first and your chances are best if it is you. Be respectful of their loss and open and forthright about your interest. Not trying to take advantage of an unfortunate situation, just asking to be given the first opportunity to purchase if or when they want to sell. If they don't lease it out for farming or hunting, it seems unlikely the heir(s) would be interested in keeping it just to pay taxes on.

The realtor could cause the selling price go up!

Here the Big boys go in person. Farms are bought, that neighbors didn't even know were for sale. If you want it, be there yesterday!

Buying property is simple as it comes
Write a check or give cash to seller for the Deposit
Get a receipt
Immediately go to closing company
Schedule Closing
Close. .

Realtors just hold the sellers/ buyers hands and walk them to the title company.

I’ve bought and sold many properties without a realtor.
I might add,.. a realtor can ruin your deal by running their mouth and the next thing you know some city slicker is swooping in on your Deal.

The biggest things I have found with buying real estate, is that the surest way to screw up a deal is to involve an attorney or a real estate agent.

^^^^^^^^^ This

You snooze, you !ose.
I found that out the hard way.

It was confirmed when my dad died and people!e started calling g about his stuff before his funeral.

Here you can stop in the courthouse and get the address and sometimes contact info for whoever is paying the taxes on the ground.

Yep, the register of deeds in every county is the best way to make a cold contact like this. They will have the record of who is paying the taxes.

Good to know.

There's an eighty acre parcel of land not far from my cabin. I met the son of the owner just once in the twenty-five years they owned the land. I never did meet the man who bought it. Anyway, I had a nice conversation with the son and he told me they intended to keep the land and someday hand it over to his ten year old boy. A year later the old man passes away and the land falls to his wife who is the stepmom of the son I met. It went up for sale immediately. The asking price was $50,000, she took $30,000 and ran. Ask while you can.