Which ones of these should a Direct Mail campaign target, if any?

[Rob Poulin]

Wondering which ones of these should be targeted in a direct mail campaign to find distressed sellers, if any? Is this typically done? Is it too late once these are published? Has anyone had luck targeting these after they are published? And what is the best time frame to target them? In other words, is it best to target them exactly when they come available? Or some time frame after? Or is it too late by the time any of these are available? Or perhaps, for instance, it is not a good idea to target people right after they filed for bankruptcy protection? Perhaps by the time the lender has filed a Petition to foreclose, it is too late? Basically I am trying to get opinions if using any of this data ... and at any time ... is a good idea for a targeted mailing for distressed properties. Thanks in advance for any info. Appreciate any info/insight to using this data.   

- Voluntary Bankruptcies (Office of the Clerk, U.S. Bankruptcy Court)

- Chapter 13 Bankruptcies (Office of the Clerk, U.S. Bankruptcy Court)

- Chapter 11 Bankruptcies (Office of the Clerk, U.S. Bankruptcy Court)

- Federal Tax Liens (Clerks Office, U.S. District Court)

- State Tax Liens (Registry of Deeds)

- Attachments (Registry of Deeds)

- Petitions to Foreclose (Internal filings of Land Court)

- Foreclosure Sales (Published legal notices)

[Nick Patterson]

I dont really have an answer, just experience.  

Once an owner lands on one of these lists, they get on average 50 letters a day.
What will your mailing do to stand out?  The answer is consistency, 12+ mailings.

Then it comes down to the fact there is a less than 1% conversation ratio on mailings.

I would focus more on quality than quantity.  So focus on an area and when an address hits one of those lists make a personal appearance to the door.  Save money on the 1000's of stamps and spend time and gas making more personal connections.  You'll get more deals.