You can read a property from the driver’s seat faster than any list can score it. The signals below are the ones that keep showing up on deals that close, and each one takes under three seconds to spot at 25 mph.
The roof tells you first
Curling shingles, patched valleys, a blue tarp that has survived two winters. A roof is the most expensive deferred repair on the house, and an owner who has stopped maintaining it has usually stopped planning to stay.
An owner who stopped fixing the roof stopped planning to stay.
What to log before the light changes
– – – Tall grass and a stuffed mailbox, the two fastest reads
– – – Plywood or curtains that never open on a street-facing window
– – – A second notice taped to the door, visible from the curb
Run the numbers on the spot
Pull the value estimate while you are parked. On a recent lead the math looked like this:
|
Rate card
|
Curb Compass · BYOK
|
|---|---|
|
Platform, unlimited leads (Pro) |
$39.00 / mo |
|
Property value + owner record |
Your RentCast key · 50 free lookups/mo |
|
Skip-trace, owner phones and emails |
≈ $0.10 · free if no match |
|
Number verification, graded A to F |
≈ $0.03 per number |
Then reach the owner the same afternoon
Skip-trace the owner and dial the A-grade number first
Mail the postcard with the curb photo on the front
Set the follow-up date before you pull away
Deals close on the third to seventh touch. The drive finds the lead, the follow-through closes it. See the full workflow on the home page.
Photo credit and disclosure lines go here in Barlow at this size.
Marcos Ruvalcaba
Builder of Curb Compass. Drives North County San Diego and writes down what works.
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