How to find data on Unit Mix of a property not listed for sale

Question

First time poster here. Hi everyone!

I have designed a direct mail campaign to hit 5+ unit owners in a target city near me and I am running into a roadblock.

I have my farm of addresses and owner information but I have not found any data about the unit mix of properties; specifically the properties that have never been sold on the MLS.

I have used my county assessors website and paid for reports but have yet to get a report that even includes a room count let alone the mix of studios, 1 bd/1bas, 2 bds, etc...

I understand there are other strategies to direct mail (like yellow letters or similar one page letters) but my goal is to hit a specific city, 5 to 40 units and include a market rent analysis of their property in the package i send to owners.

Does anyone know of solid data sites or strategies for obtaining the unit mix of a building?

Thanks BP!

-Chris

I am a licensed RE agent in CA

Omar Khan · Answer

@Chris Scott  A low-tech way of solving this problem is to "tour" the site by claiming you want to rent a unit. This is cumbersome but can be done if you hire people off Craigslist/other sites.

Omar Khan · Answer

@Chris Scott Exactly! I wasn't articulate enough. You don't actually have to visit. Often times, a call suffices. Visit the properties you are interested in (as a renter) as it can help you get a better picture than the rosy one presented by a motivated broker/seller.

If you need any help in analyzing, assessing or other facets of the deal, PM me.

Chris Scott · Answer

@Omar Khan thank you for your comment! Another facet to your idea comes to mind. I could call the manager/owner as a prospective tenant, and get unit mixes and even what they are asking for rent. Even if there was a database of unit mixes, I would still have to search individually so calling would just be an extra step. I appreciate your reply