This is a great step 2 article. Step one, and much harder, is to find the barn find in the first place! Tom Cotter illustrates this very well which is just talk to people all the time so everyone you know - knows you are in the market. I uncovered a stash of 3 cars in one estate - in a 70 yr old hand built shed that hadn't seen the light of day for 30 years. In it included a 26K orig mile 1939 Ford Business Coupe (story published in Street Rodder; I bought and sold a few years ago), a 21K orig mile 1948 Lincoln Continental V12 2-dr Coupe (brokered for the family), and a 37K orig mile 1955 Chervolet 3600 pickup still with the original bedwood & is currently sitting in my garage. How did I find these cars? My father-in-law making small talk with his family doctor, doctor mentioned having these old cars his 98 yr old blind father had and didn't know what to do with them - and God bless my father-in-law - he tells him all about his son-in-law who is really into old cars. Similarly, a work buddy went to an estate sale, sees an old car in the garage - talks to the widow - discovers the car hadn't moved in 10 yrs since her husband died, he calls me, long story short I ending up buying a very well preserved 1966 25K orig mile MGB GT and a matching color 1971 BSA motorcycle with less than 4,000 miles. The key to this one is I treated her with respect, offered a fair price, and even brought it by for a ride after it was back on the road. That lead to her friend calling me who was an original owner of a 1968 Firebird 350 4spd convertible she wanted to sell (couldn't push clutch anymore).
Point is you can't buy a barn find until you find a barn find.
