Wholesale guide
What is driving for dollars?
Driving for dollars is a property-research method in which an investor observes homes from lawful public places, notes properties that merit further checking, and verifies facts through appropriate records. It can surface research candidates, but exterior appearance does not prove vacancy, distress, ownership, or a desire to sell.
How does driving for dollars work?
The method starts with a defined neighborhood and a route. An investor notices objective exterior conditions—such as visible deferred maintenance—and records an address for later research. The next step is verification, not an immediate conclusion: check parcel identity and current ownership through local records, then determine whether contact would be appropriate and permitted.
Because observations are limited, avoid describing a person as motivated or a home as abandoned based on appearance. A property may be maintained by someone who is not present, occupied seasonally, or undergoing planned work. The method is useful as a way to decide what to research, not a shortcut to an owner's intentions.
- Choose a manageable area and plan a repeatable route.
- Observe only from lawful public locations and obey traffic rules.
- Write down neutral, dated observations without inferring personal circumstances.
What should you record while in the field?
Keep field notes minimal and factual: address, date, general exterior observation, and the public location from which it was made. Do not enter yards or buildings, peer through windows, interfere with mail, or photograph private interiors. Be considerate of residents and stop observing if asked or if the location is not public.
Separate observations from later record research. A note such as “yard appeared overgrown on this date” is more accurate than “vacant house.” Avoid collecting details about occupants, vehicles, routines, or family circumstances that are not needed to verify the parcel.
- Use consistent, objective wording.
- Avoid recording sensitive personal or household details.
- Secure notes and remove duplicates or stale observations.
How do you turn an observation into verified research?
Use a county parcel map or assessor resource to confirm the address and parcel, then consult recorded ownership information as needed. Public sources can be outdated, difficult to search, or subject to fees for copies. Check the source date and contact the responsible office if information is inconsistent. Do not assume the first name associated with a parcel is the person who can authorize a sale.
If research supports appropriate outreach, verify applicable rules for the channel you plan to use. Identify yourself, explain the reason for reaching out without overstating what you know, and let the person decline. Never treat a visible condition as permission to contact repeatedly or as evidence of hardship.
- Verify the parcel and current ownership with official sources.
- Mark uncertain information explicitly and resolve discrepancies first.
- Use permitted, transparent outreach and promptly honor requests to stop.
How can you evaluate whether the method helps?
Log the time spent observing and verifying, any public-record costs, and the number of addresses that survive verification. Compare that effort with the quality of subsequent conversations, not simply the size of a route list. Revisit a sample to check whether observations remain current, and refine the route or criteria if many notes prove stale or ambiguous.
- Measure verified information and appropriate conversations, not raw addresses.
- Recheck old notes before any follow-up.
- Stop using a method that depends on invasive observation or unsupported assumptions.