The best deals rarely come from the MLS.

They come from motivation. And in real estate, absentee owners are often the most quietly motivated of all.

They’re not living in the property. They may not even be in the same city.

And they’re tired of the hassle, even if they haven’t said it out loud yet.

The key? Finding these leads before they list, before the photos, before the bidding war, before the crowd.

In this guide, we’ll walk you through:

• Who absentee owners really are (and why they sell)

• The tools, data, and outreach strategies to reach them early

• How to position your offer so they say yes, even if they weren’t planning to sell

Let’s turn absentee ownership into your next off-market pipeline.

What Is an Absentee Owner?

An absentee owner is someone who owns a property but doesn’t live in it.

Common examples:

• Landlords (especially accidental ones)

• Inherited property owners

• Vacation or second home owners

• Burned-out Airbnb hosts

• Out-of-state flippers who never finished the job
  
  

These owners often have less emotional attachment, more logistical friction, and a higher chance of selling if the right offer comes along.

The big opportunity?
They’re not always actively marketing their property.
Which means if you find them early, you win big.

Why Absentee Owners Sell (Even Before They Planned To)

Most absentee owners are not desperate. But they are frustrated.

Here are the pain points they won’t say out loud (but you can solve):

• Tenant headaches or long vacancies

• Deferred maintenance and rising costs

• Regulatory issues (especially with short-term rentals)

• Life changes, inheritance, divorce, burnout, relocation

• Lack of time or energy to manage from afar

The moment they hit one more issue, one more maintenance call, one more tax bill, they’re ready to offload.

That’s your opening.

How to Identify Absentee Owner Leads Before the MLS

Here’s how to find them fast, using smart filters and tools.

1. Use Goliath Data Filters

With Goliath, you can instantly pull absentee owner lists by:

• Owner mailing address ≠ property address

• Length of ownership (e.g., 5+ years = more equity)

• Vacancy indicators

• Out-of-state ownership

• No recent mortgage activity
  
  

These filters let you find high-equity, low-friction leads that are primed to sell, even if they don’t know it yet.

Bonus: Tag and score them by motivation inside Goliath to prioritize outreach.

2. Look for Vacancy or Code Violation Lists

Many absentee owners neglect their properties. That leads to:

• Overgrown yards

• Complaints from neighbors

• Citations from the city
  
  

You can pull vacant property reports and code violation lists from your county or city offices.

Pro tip: Combine this data with absentee owner filters to laser in on neglected, underperforming rentals.

3. Use USPS Undeliverable Mail or Return-to-Sender Triggers

If mail sent to a property keeps bouncing back, it’s often vacant or improperly managed.

You can trigger this yourself:

• Send a plain letter or postcard to your list.

• Track which ones return as undeliverable.

• Flag those addresses for additional outreach. The seller may not even know there’s a problem.

This low-cost method surfaces hidden distress signals fast.

4. Scrape Airbnb and Vacation Rental Sites

Not every absentee owner is a long-term landlord.

Some are short-term hosts, and they’re burning out.

Use tools like:

• AirDNA

• AllTheRooms

• Manual scraping of Airbnb/VRBO listings
  
  

Look for:

• Long vacancies

• High turnover

• Reduced review activity

Cross-reference those properties with owner mailing addresses to identify absentee owners.

What to Say When Reaching Out to Absentee Owners

Your message needs to reflect one truth:

“I know your life would be easier if this property didn’t exist.”

Here’s a sample opener:

“Hi [First Name], I own property in the area and I know how challenging it can be to manage something from out of town. If you’ve ever thought about offloading the hassle, I’d love to make that easy. No pressure at all, just wanted to introduce myself in case the timing is ever right.”

You’re not hard-pitching. You’re planting a seed.
When the next problem arises, they’ll remember you.

Channels to Reach Absentee Sellers

Use a multi-touch, multi-channel approach:

• Direct mail (simple, personal letters)

• Cold calls with a soft intro

• Ringless voicemail drops with empathy

• Text messages (if you have permission)

• Email (for inherited or known landlords)

And once they respond, drop them into your automated follow-up sequence inside Goliath to stay top of mind.

Offer Structures That Appeal to Absentee Owners

Not all absentee sellers want a cash offer. Here’s how to match structure to situation:

You don’t need to convince them, just give them a frictionless path out.

Beat the MLS by Thinking Like a Hunter, Not a Shopper

Shoppers wait for the listing. Hunters find the opportunity before it’s public.

Absentee owners aren’t waving their hands saying, “I want to sell!”

But the signs are all there:

• Distance

• Frustration

• Fatigue

• Neglect

When you see it, act on it.

Because by the time that an absentee-owned house hits the MLS, it’s already too late.