An owner across town can drive over on Saturday. An owner in another state can't. Most lists treat them the same.
Investor play · Out-of-state owners
Out-of-state owners: the sellers who are hardest for everyone else to reach.
Owners who live hundreds of miles from their property can't see the roof leak, meet the contractor, or drop by when a tenant calls. Spur finds properties whose owners live in another state, mails them at home, and offers a clean exit from long-distance ownership.
Free forever plan · No card · 20 property searches a month
USPSFirst-Class
Brian Olsen5512 Fremont Ave NSeattle, WA 98103Scan for an as-is offer
Brian O. scanned your QR code · 41 min ago
AI-written for this owner · Mailed in 2 days
Out-of-statemailing address filter, not just absentee
Tenantsin place offers so owners skip turnover
QR alertsthe moment a distant owner scans
The problem
Generic absentee mail wastes half the list.
Distant owners worry about repairs they can't see and managers they can't check. Generic cash-offer copy misses that.
Cold calls to a different time zone land at dinner or before work. Mail is read on the owner's schedule.
How it works
From list to mailbox in one workflow.
Five steps from a distant owner to a signed contract.
app.usespur.com
See it in Spur
An out-of-state owner list in Spur
Sample Dallas rentals owned by people who live in another state. Names are partly masked.
Dallas, TXOwner state ≠ TXSingle-family + 2–4 unitsOwned 7+ yrs
- Brian O.1209 Oak Lawn AveOwner in Seattle, WAOut-of-state11 yrs
- Priya & Dev K.4418 Bryan StOwners in Edison, NJDuplexEquity 58%
- Hal M.7022 Lakewood BlvdOwner in Denver, COOut-of-stateTenant-occupied
- Sunbelt Rentals LLC3315 Gaston AveManager in Chicago, ILLLCOwned 9 yrs
- Marsha T.2940 Kiest BlvdOwner in Tampa, FLOut-of-stateFree and clear
AI draft for Brian O. · 1209 Oak Lawn Ave
Hi Brian,
I'm a Dallas investor, and I'm writing about your rental at 1209 Oak Lawn Avenue. I noticed you've owned it for about 11 years and live in Seattle now.
Owning a property this far away is hard. You can't check on the roof or the yard, every repair starts with a phone call, and you rely on other people to tell you what's going on. If you're ready to be done with it, I can buy the house as-is with your tenants in place, so you don't need to deal with a move-out or any repairs.
Scan the code for an offer, or call or text me. I'm happy to work around Pacific time.
Andre Lewis · (214) 555-0182
Sample data for illustration. Your results depend on your market and filters.
Playbook
Why out-of-state owners are a list of their own
An out-of-state owner is an absentee owner whose mailing address is in a different state from the property. They're a subset of absentee owners, but they behave differently. A local absentee owner can still drive by, meet a contractor, and handle a turnover. An out-of-state owner relies on a property manager, a relative, or a tenant's word, and every problem costs more because they can't see it.
Most out-of-state owners got there in one of a few ways: they moved for work and kept the old house as a rental, inherited a home in a city they left long ago, or bought remotely as investors. The first two groups are often the most willing to sell, because they never set out to be landlords.
Stack the out-of-state filter with signals that suggest fatigue: ten or more years of ownership, high equity, older homes that need capital work, small multifamily, or a recent vacancy. Owners with no mortgage have the most flexibility on price and terms.
Your letter should sound like a local who can solve a problem they can't see. Mention the property, the distance, and the hassle of managing from afar, then offer to buy as-is with tenants in place. That last point matters: many distant owners dread a move-out and turnover more than they care about price.
Time matters too. Mail lets a distant owner respond on their schedule, and a QR scan tells you when they're thinking about it, so your call reaches them at a good time in their own time zone. Plan for three to five touches over several months.
Watch for the moments when distance hurts most: a tenant moving out, a big repair quote, an insurance renewal, or a property tax increase. Owners who scan your card often have just had one of these. Ask what happened when you call, and shape your offer around solving that problem first.
25×return on a year of Spur Team from one $15,000 deal
A few distant owners can fill a year of deals.
- Spur Team: $588/yr billed annually
- 400 out-of-state owners × 3 postcards = 1,200 at $1.09 = $1,308
- One $15,000 deal = 25× your subscription
Example math. Your list size, market, and deal size will vary. Run your own numbers →
One tool, not four
Spur vs. the usual out-of-state owner workflow
What you needThe usual waySpur
Owner-state filterExporting and sorting a spreadsheet✓ Built in
Updated owner address and phoneSeparate skip tracing✓ Built in
Copy about long-distance ownershipGeneric absentee template✓ Built in
Scan alerts per ownerWaiting for the phone to ring✓ Built in
Scheduled re-mailingManual reorders with a print shop✓ Built in
FAQ
Out-of-state owner questions
How do I find out-of-state property owners?
Search your target area in Spur and filter for owners whose mailing address is in a different state. Stack with ownership length and equity to narrow it down.
Are out-of-state owners better leads than local absentee owners?
Often, yes. Distance makes repairs, tenant problems, and turnovers harder and more expensive, so out-of-state owners are frequently more open to a simple sale.
Should I mail the property or the owner's home?
Always the owner's home. Mail to the property reaches the tenant. Spur's enrichment updates the owner's current address before you mail.
What if the property is owned by an LLC?
Mail the LLC's mailing address and address the letter to the manager or member when you know the name. Many small LLCs are one owner with one or two rentals.
How many times should I mail out-of-state owners?
Three to five times over several months. Many decide after a costly repair or a vacancy, so steady follow-up matters more than a single drop.
Keep exploring
Related plays and guides
Start in minutes. No card required.
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