Fliers on parked cars for Seller marketing?

Hello I am new to the Real Estate game. I have read many things on marketing and have decided to 1. Send out yellow letters 2. Put out Bandit signs 3. Bought magnetic signs 4. built a website 5. put fliers in grocery stores 6. posted on free sites like craiglist.

There are many train stations in my area with hundreds of cars. I want to place 500 fliers on these cars each month> I figure this is a captive audience and someone might think about selling or I might find a buyer. Your thoughts on this idea please? Also do you think my other methods mentioned are OK?

Thanks, Derek :D

Edited: 09/25/2011 at 02:56PM by Derek Smith

Michael R.

Real Estate Investor · New York

304 posts
3 awards
51 influence

Sep 25 '11, 03:43 PM

I guess not a bad idea if you are buying in that area. I always get annoyed though when I find people left things like that on my car.

Shanequa J.

SFR Investor · Fayetteville, North Carolina

232 posts
5 awards
51 influence

Sep 25 '11, 04:52 PM

I don't like the idea of putting fliers on cars. It is too broad. At least with mailing letters you have time to research owners by making sure they meet your criteria. How do you know that the person even owns a house?

James Hiddle

Real Estate Investor · Altus, Oklahoma

2,567 posts
7 awards
56 influence

Sep 25 '11, 05:20 PM

People don't like fliers on their car. Most likely they are going to throw the flier away and might get annoyed if you are around.

This post has been hidden.

Phillip Gainey

· Michigan

228 posts
3 awards
50 influence

Sep 25 '11, 06:16 PM

Not very professional.

Most people won't take you very seriously.

OTOH, people throw junk mail away too.

We faced the same issue years ago with our carpet cleaning biz. We found, believe it or not, that passing out good quality magnets (just once per area) door to door (just place and move on, no bell ringing). Worked well.

Research has shown that people do NOT throw magnets away. They put them on the fridge, and forget about them. But each time they go to the fridge, their subconscious registers the message on the magnet. Then, when and if they need your service, they will end up calling you after forgetting how they even go the magnet.

Still get calls from magnets placed years ago.

Works for home services, don't know about RE.

Logan Harrington

Real Estate Investor · Clarksburg, Maryland

2 posts
1 award
50 influence

Sep 25 '11, 10:16 PM

Flyers targeting sellers the way I think you are planning is the wrong way. If you are planning on putting out flyer with the verbiage "Looking to sell you home?" its not as effective as offering something for free or of value.

"Free information on how to Take Advantage of this AMAZING Real Estate with no money, No experience, and No talking to people" Email me or call me to find out more. FREE!!!!

Now your building up your bird dogs and targeting more people than JUST sellers.

Jeff Tumbarello

Real Estate Investor · Fort Myers, Florida

949 posts
6 awards
50 influence

Sep 26 '11, 05:40 AM

Do some demographic work on the sellers in the market you are targeting.
Things to look for:
Why are the current sellers selling? ( closed sales should help with this, IE short sale, evidence of a probate, etc)
How long where the current sellers on title?
On average how long was a seller in that market on title?
Did they buy cash or a mortgage?
When you understand the market in depth. You will use a laser to market versus the methods described. Flyers on cars make you look like a barefoot moron... IMHO

Derek Smith

Real Estate Investor · Bowie, Maryland

54 posts
2 awards
50 influence

Sep 26 '11, 05:46 AM

Thank you all very much. That is why I asked. Something that sounds good to me...a newbie...turns out to not be so good after all...and I don't want to look like a "unprofessional" "barefoot moron", LOL!

George P.

Real Estate Investor · Baltimore, Maryland

1,289 posts
8 awards
54 influence

Sep 26 '11, 05:55 AM

I park by the metro station every day. Once in a while some smart pants marketer leaves their stupid flyer under the wiper. From what I can tell, commuters do not appreciate it, never read it, and almost always throw it on the ground.

Derek Smith

Real Estate Investor · Bowie, Maryland

54 posts
2 awards
50 influence

Sep 29 '11, 05:57 AM

Got it George, thanks. I guess I am one of the few who actually read nost of them and sometimes retain the ones I like. I figured if someone NEEDED to sell and saw this they would keep it and I would get maybe a few calls out of this. I get unwanted junk mail every day, but I sometimes keep it and the yellow letter seems to be a nuisance to all but a few so I thought this would be about the same. But I see it is not so I am scapping this idea.

David Myre

· Dallas, Texas

12 posts
50 influence

Sep 29 '11, 10:16 PM

Originally posted by Derek Smith

...I see it is not so I am scapping this idea.

I agree with the other members, and am glad to hear that you're scrapping the idea.