Louisiana situation guide · Updated November 2026

Wholesaling Absentee Owner Properties in Louisiana

Wholesaling absentee owner properties in Louisiana means contracting with owners who live away from the house, then assigning that contract to a cash buyer. In New Orleans, many of these owners inherited a home in Gentilly or the 7th Ward and never came back. Act 807 of 2026 (reported as effective August 1, 2026; confirm on legis.la.gov) now sets written disclosure rules for the deal. See our absentee owner leads guide.

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The short answer

Can you wholesale an absentee owner’s house in New Orleans?

Yes. In Louisiana, a New Orleans absentee-owner contract can be assigned if you follow Act 807 of 2026 (R.S. 37:1448.5). Before the owner signs, you give written notice that you plan to assign for a higher price, that they should get legal advice, and that they can cancel for five calendar days. Check current text with a Louisiana attorney.

An absentee owner is someone whose mailing address differs from the property address. The house may be vacant, rented or half-forgotten. The owner often cares more about ending taxes, insurance and lawn fines than about top price. Our motivated seller guide explains how to spot that mindset.

Distance changes the paperwork, not the rules. You can sign by mail or e-signature, but the written disclosure must come first and the cancel-by date runs from the later signature. Build in a buffer for slow mail. Our wholesale offer guide shows a clean offer layout.

Absentee Owner Properties in Louisiana at a glance

Governing law	Act 807 of 2026, R.S. 37:1448.5
Property covered	Residential real property, 1 to 4 units
Seller cancellation	At least 5 calendar days, to 11:59 PM
Deposit	At least 1% of price, held in escrow
Penalty	Up to $5,000 per violation
Key regulator	Louisiana Real Estate Commission (LREC)

The opportunity

Why absentee owners sell in Orleans Parish

New Orleans has aging housing, costly flood insurance and many heirs living elsewhere. A house in Central City or New Orleans East can sit for years while taxes and code fines add up. An owner who has never seen the damage often welcomes a clean, fast sale. Use the ARV calculator before you quote a price.

Heirs far away

Families scatter after a death, and nobody wants to manage a house from a distance.

Rising carrying costs

Insurance, taxes and city lot-cleaning bills push owners toward a sale. See code violation leads.

Low emotional tie

Owners who never lived there tend to negotiate on numbers, not memories.

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Lead sources

Where to find absentee owners in New Orleans

Mailing mismatch. Compare assessor mailing addresses with property addresses in Orleans Parish.
Tax delinquency. Unpaid bills often signal an owner who has stopped paying attention. See tax delinquent lists.
Returned mail. Letters that bounce show a stale address worth tracing with skip tracing.
Vacant blocks. Drive Gentilly and the 7th Ward and log dark, overgrown houses. Try driving for dollars.
Probate filings. Heirs who left town are common sellers. See probate leads.

Your exit

Who buys absentee owner deals in Louisiana

Rehabbers working Orleans Parish and small landlords from Jefferson Parish are typical buyers. They want a clear scope, an honest repair estimate and a price that leaves room for permits.

Send your buyer a photo set and a short summary of the occupancy. Find them through our cash buyer guide, and close through an investor-friendly title company.

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Step by step

How to start wholesaling absentee owner properties in Louisiana

Find the owner. Match mailing addresses and trace phone numbers.
Send a letter first. A short note works better than a cold call, as yellow letters show.
Disclose in writing. Give the Act 807 notice before you sign anything.
Price it. Run the MAO calculator with a repair estimate.
Sign and attach the form. Include the LREC cancellation form and the statutory notice.
Fund the deposit. Place at least 1% in escrow in Louisiana.
Market the contract. Offer it to buyers after the cancel-by date passes, then close through title.

Your checklist for wholesaling Absentee Owner Properties in Louisiana

Put the disclosures in writing before every contract.
Write the cancel-by date and 11:59 PM time next to the signature.
Attach the LREC cancellation form at no charge.
Hold at least 1% of the price as a deposit in escrow.
Never record anything that clouds the owner’s title.

A Louisiana example: an heir in another city, a house in Gentilly

Contract price	$118,000
Deposit (1%)	$1,180
Cancel-by date	Five days after the later signature
Buyer price	$132,000
Assignment fee	$14,000
Closing	Orleans Parish title company

This worked example uses illustrative numbers. An heir lived away and owned a shotgun house in Gentilly with a leaking roof. You mailed a letter, then gave the written disclosures by e-mail and sent the contract with the LREC form.

You signed at $118,000 and held $1,180 in escrow. The owner did not cancel, so you sold the rights to a rehabber at $132,000.

The buyer paid you $14,000 and closed through a title company. The heir received the full contract price and never had to visit.

Louisiana rules to know

Act 807 for out-of-town sellers

Act 807 reaches any wholesaler who markets contract rights on one-to-four-unit property. For absentee owners, the risk is a missed or late disclosure. Under the Act as read, that makes the contract voidable by the seller until title transfers, and LREC can fine up to $5,000 per violation.

You also may not act as the seller’s advisor or agent, or file anything that clouds title. Owners and sellers of their own property are generally exempt from licensing under R.S. 37:1438, but how that fits with Act 807 is unsettled. Read our legality guide and ask a Louisiana attorney.

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Mentorship students send us their Act 807 packets before they mail them. We review the order of the paperwork and the escrow steps with you.

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FAQ

Absentee Owner Properties in Louisiana: common questions

Is wholesaling absentee owner properties in Louisiana legal?

Yes, but Act 807 of 2026 regulates it for one-to-four-unit homes. You must give written disclosures, attach the LREC cancellation form and hold a deposit in escrow. Check current text and ask a Louisiana attorney about your deal. Rules can change, so read the Act itself before each new contract.

Can an out-of-state owner sign electronically?

Generally yes, but the disclosures must come first and the cancel-by date runs from the later signature. Keep proof of when each document was sent. Ask a Louisiana attorney how e-signatures fit your contract. Save the e-mail or platform record that shows each date and time.

How do I find absentee owners in Orleans Parish?

Compare assessor mailing addresses with property addresses, then add tax delinquency, probate filings and returned mail. Trace phone numbers before calling. Check the Louisiana Public Service Commission do-not-call rules before you dial. Federal calling and texting rules apply as well, so scrub your lists first.

What happens if I skip a disclosure?

Under Act 807 as read, the seller can void the contract any time before title transfers. The Attorney General and LREC may also act, with penalties up to $5,000 per violation. Treat every disclosure as required. A short checklist before each contract prevents most mistakes.

Do I need a deposit?

Each wholesaling contract needs a deposit of at least 1% of the price, held in escrow in Louisiana or in the seller’s account. The seller keeps it after a later termination. Confirm details with an attorney. Keep the receipt for the escrow deposit in your deal file.