① TL;DR
Multi-family listings where the retail-buyer pool is eliminated. 5+ units is the canonical "Checkmate" (FHA fails → DSCR-only → DSCR fails at 7%+ → SF is the only path). Duplex/triplex/quadplex also qualify IF the property is "not retail-desirable" (ugly, college-rental style, no owner-occupant would buy it to live in). Price $200K–$1.4M, DOM 90+. Largest assignment fees in the method live here.
② When to use
- 5+ units → always Tier A (FHA fails on 5+, no retail-buyer ambiguity)
- 2-4 units (duplex/triplex/quadplex) → Tier A ONLY if NOT retail-desirable (per SF Course L957-L1074: 'You're probably not going to buy this property to live in it. The reason you wouldn't is because it's not super nice. It's like college living')
- Price: $200K–$1.4M (lowered from $350K to match SF Course duplex/triplex examples in $190K-$800K range)
- DOM: 90+ days (the agent is now motivated)
- QUALIFICATION GATE: bank-rate CF ≤ 0 (DSCR fails or retail-buyer math fails — seller is stuck) AND Creative CF ≥ $100/mo (the SF restructure cash-flows for you)
- Creative structure: asking + 10%, 10% down strict, 0% rate, 30yr amort, 5-7yr balloon
- Reserves: 20% of rent (CapEx 5% + Mgmt 5% + Vacancy 10%) — matches Offer Oven defaults
- Target markets (Seller Finance Course primary-source): Cleveland OH (multiple MFH examples — 'multifamily houses, Cleveland, Ohio', line 715), Florida ('we love Florida', Punta Gorda MFH example, line 88), Minneapolis (quadruplex example, line 1037), plus broader Midwest/South
📺 Course Video
③ How to run this play (step-by-step)
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Confirm the listing qualifies — unit count first
From the morning briefing: 5+ units → skip to step 2, you're cleared. 2-4 units (duplex/triplex/quadplex) → tap the Zillow link and review photos. If photos show 'college rental' / 'ugly' / 'IKEA at best' aesthetic (per Richard's SF Course L989) — no owner-occupant would want to LIVE there — proceed. If photos show retail-desirable (marble countertops, carved wooden doors, beautiful staging) — DROP IT, an FHA buyer can take it conventionally and there's no SF angle.
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Confirm the price + DOM + Creative CF
Price $200K-$1.4M, DOM ≥ 90 days, and the briefing card's ✅ Creative CF banner is positive. If any miss, this isn't Tier A.Open BBC listing ↗
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Verify the numbers — BBC's in-listing calculator first
Tap 'Search BBC ↗' on the briefing card → open the listing in BBC → use the built-in calculator. BBC auto-prefills the property data (taxes, insurance, rent, PITI, equity) so you only enter your offer terms. This is the canonical calculation — same engine that produced the briefing's CF number.
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Use Offer Oven for what-if scenario modeling
Offer Oven is the secondary tool — use when you want to model multiple offer structures side-by-side (e.g. 0%/+10% vs 5%/asking, or with/without balloon, or subject-to hybrid). It requires manual entry of every field. Best for deals NOT from BBC (off-market, referrals) where BBC's auto-prefill isn't available.Open Offer Oven ↗
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Find the agent's direct number
Three paths: (a) if BBC cookies > 0 the agent name + phone are already in the briefing card (green box); (b) tap 'Zillow ↗ (agent here)' — Zillow shows the listing agent at the top of the listing page; (c) in BBC, tap the listing → 'Unlock contact' (costs 1 cookie ≈ $0.50).
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Dial once — leave the voicemail (script below)
Don't expect an answer on first call. The voicemail is the pitch — it front-loads the math so the agent decides whether to engage before calling back.
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Wait 24-48 hours for callback
If no callback after 48 hrs, dial again. Don't text yet — first contact is voice.
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When they call back — run the live call script (below)
Walk through DSCR math: their P&I at 7.25% vs. rent. Make them see why no investor can buy this conventionally.
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Handle objections inline
When the agent pushes back, jump to the matching rebuttal below. Don't argue — read the rebuttal calmly.
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On verbal yes → generate contract
Returns the BBC data entry block + addendum language + dispo summary.Trigger: contract parameters → paste into Claude Code (Mac)Replace the address with your deal.
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Submit the deal
BBC Marketplace (auto-dispo to BBC buyers) + Grand In Taylor Creative Form. For non-BBC out-of-network buyers, generate a shareable one-pager URL:Grand In Taylor Creative Form ↗Trigger: buyer one-pager → paste into Claude Code (Mac)Returns a public URL to DM out-of-network buyers.
④ The voicemail
"Hey [agent name], my name's Tim. I'm calling you about [address] in [city].
Real interested in this one — I've got some capital gains I need to pour
into a new investment.
I'm wondering if your client's doing seller finance. I saw this has been
on market for [DOM] days — that's probably because interest rates are
higher than they've been in 20-25 years. Nobody can cash flow with the
loans that are available, and at the same time, nobody has [price] in
cash laying around they want to send.
So what I do is I offer people over their asking price over a 5-year
period. I'd be your end buyer on this one — try to get you [asking +10%]
over a 5-year period of time. We do a multi-six-figure down payment
while giving your client the majority of what this property makes as
a rental per month.
I wanted to give you a call and see what the chances are of your client
wanting to avoid the capital gains tax they'd pay if they sold for cash,
and do some seller financing where they're going to make hundreds of
thousands more.
I'll also shoot you a text. Thanks so much. Bye."
⑤ The live call (when they pick up)
"Hey [agent], it's Tim — calling about [address]. You have a moment?
[Yes]
Great. So I've run the numbers on this one and I want to walk you through
exactly what I'm seeing — because I think it explains why this property
has been sitting for [DOM] days.
This is a [N]-unit property. Anyone buying this is an investor — you can't
get an FHA loan on 5+ units, so retail buyers aren't even in the conversation.
Investors need a DSCR loan, and at today's rates — about 7.25% — the math
just doesn't work.
The property rents for around [gross rent]. Your client's asking [price].
At 80% LTV, 7.25%, 30yr — I'm looking at roughly [P&I]/month just on the
loan. Add taxes and insurance, you're at [PITI]. After vacancy and
management, you're netting negative every month. The lender hands me
a big red X — DSCR doesn't clear.
So the way this gets done — really the only way right now — is if your
seller considers taking payments on their equity over time.
What that looks like: we'd offer [asking + 10%]. Multi-six-figure down
payment up front. The balance at 0% amortized over 30 years, with a
5-year balloon. Your seller gets their full asking plus a premium,
their commission paid up front, and the majority of what this rents
for hitting their account every month for 5 years.
Was the seller hoping for a house-hacker? Because any investor buying
this is going to hit the same DSCR wall I just described. Not sure I'd
be the best fit for you here, but I saw the days on market and wanted
to give you a call."
[Pause. Let it land.]
⑦ Top objections for this play
"Seller wants cash only"
"I totally understand — and that's exactly what a lot of sellers say
when they haven't been walked through the math yet.
The question is: what's more important to them — how they get paid,
or what they get paid? Because with this structure, they get [asking + 10%]
plus a multi-five or multi-six-figure down payment up front to use
toward their next property. That's more than any cash buyer is going
to offer right now.
Would it be worth a 10-minute conversation so they can hear the full
picture and make an informed decision?"
"We have other offers"
"That's great to hear — I hope one of them works out for your seller.
Out of curiosity, are they conventional? Because I'd love to know how
they're clearing DSCR at 7.25% on this one. If they're house-hackers,
that changes things — but if they're investors, they're going to hit
the same wall.
Our offer is [price + 10%] — above asking. The structure's different,
but the number isn't."
"What if you stop making payments and walk away?"
"You're right to ask about that — the quitclaim deed is actually
structured to protect YOU, not me. If we miss payments, the property
reverts back to your client. Meanwhile, they've kept the down payment
and every monthly payment we've made up to that point.
We're not walking away — we have skin in the game. The down payment
is real money. The monthly payments come from the tenants we place.
This isn't a 'buy nothing down and disappear' scheme — your client
keeps the property as collateral, and we're underwriting carefully
because if we lose the property, we lose our down payment too."
⑧ Counter-offer rules
Seller wants more down → CANNOT exceed 10% for Tier A (kills end-buyer CoC). Push back firmly.
Seller wants interest → drop price to asking. Never give both premium AND rate.
Balloon < 5 years → push back. 7 years is ideal; 5 is the floor.
Seller wants full asking (no premium) → run numbers with 0% at asking. If CF works, accept; if not, reframe.
⑨ Sources (go deeper)
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PRIMARY SOURCE — SF Course L88 (Florida MFH, 'we love Florida')
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PRIMARY SOURCE — SF Course L165 (FHA fails on 5+ units → DSCR-only logic)
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PRIMARY SOURCE — SF Course L715 (Cleveland OH quadplex SF analysis)
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PRIMARY SOURCE — SF Course L894 (Cleveland duplex SF underwriting)
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PRIMARY SOURCE — SF Course L957 ('retail desirable' duplex/triplex test)
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PRIMARY SOURCE — SF Course L1037 (Minneapolis quadruplex SF underwriting)
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📚
HMHW Seller Finance Course (full ~1h video)
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All MFH pitch recordings (~12 calls)
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Run numbers in Offer Oven
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Seller Finance Calculator
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🏦
Find more Tier A deals in BBC Lightning Leads
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