Sample Probate Letter to Executor

Sample Probate Letter to Executor

Investor · Baltimore, MD · Member since 2013 · 65 posts · 23 votes

Hi All,

I have learned a TON from the BP community and am very thankful for the creators, moderators, and members that make this all possible. As a small token of my gratitude and first opportunity to contribute, please see the probate letter that I just finished drafting. This letter is meant to go to executors/interested parties. Haven't sent yet but plan to do so shortly and will try to remember to update with response rate. Please critique away. Thanks!

[LOGO]

[DATE]

[Name]

[Address]

[City – State – Zip]

Dear Mr./Mrs./Ms. [Last Name],

Please accept our sincerest condolences for the passing of [Decedent’s Name]. We wish you and your family stress-free peace in these difficult times.

We are contacting you because we understand that arrangements regarding the home at [Decedent’s Address] will eventually need to be made. As such, and when you are ready, it would be our pleasure to assist you with making these arrangements should the need arise.

[Company Name] is a small group of local property developers with a great deal of hometown pride. We have recently purchased a few homes in the [Decedent’s Neighborhood] neighborhood for cash. Unlike listing a property with a realtor which regularly takes months to sell, requires stacks of tedious paperwork, and accumulates realtor commission fees, we can make a fair “as-is” cash offer and frequently settle in as little as one week.

If you are interested in a hassle free offer, please give me a call at [phone] or email me at [email]. Additionally, if you do decide to market this home with a realtor we can offer you a list of whom we consider the most professional realtors in the area. Should you have any questions or be in need of any other assistance regarding this property we will do our utmost to help or refer you to a reputable member of our strong local network.

Thank you in advance for your time.

Sincerely,

[Name]

[Position/Title]

[Company Name]

2Reply
314 views

Most Popular Reply

Flipper / Wholesaler · Farmington, CT · Member since 2012 · 189 posts · 89 votes
12y

of course it only matters what the recipient thinks, but unless we are doing a follow up phone interview with the people that receive the mailing, we really do not know except by the responses we get as the people mailing. So we end up here discussing what works and what doesn't. For someone inexperienced and on a limited budget, it is often times best to get opinions from other investors so a mailing is not wasted.

Testing is great but it is very tough on a $3,000 budget to adequately split test a mailing, let alone test many different factors. So if you are starting to mail, you better come out of the gate with a well thought out mail piece or it could become very discouraging for the new guy.

It seems sometimes the best option is for the generic yellow letter because it is tried and tested and people will call but with a formal letter like a lot of people send out with probates, the responses will typically not be as many so any feedback from experienced guys is always helpful.

That's the main reason this site is so powerful..the ability to stand on the shoulders of successful people so you can get off on the right foot.

I started mailing as a real estate agent 10 years ago when I started out and I got sold some really bad ideas that cost me a lot of money with no return. It wasn't until years later that I found the yellow letter as an investor and was amazed at how much money I had spent prior due to bad advice or by not talking to the right people.

Everyone sending direct mail will spend lots of money learning to become successful, but any ideas we can throw around here are going to help someone i'm sure. and hopefully those ideas allow them to get a great response, a deal, and the push to keep moving forward.

See this reply in the discussion

34 Replies

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  • Flipper / Wholesaler · Farmington, CT · Member since 2012 · 189 posts · 89 votes
    12y

    IMO, offering your sincerest condolences to someone you don't know is not sincere and could be seen by the recipient as very fake. I have noticed this on many samples I have been seeing and it seems to me that one thing line could be the kiss of death for a mailing like this.

  • Urbana, IL · Member since 2012 · 1k+ posts · 425 votes
    12y

    I think the letter is pretty dang good! @Brian Davis may be correct about the condolences; its a touchy subject. Some people may take it well others may be highly offended. Its hard to say.

    My other suggestion is to try to reword your letter so its shortened up a bit. The topics you hit are very helpful in making you sound local and professional. It just seems like a long letter.

    Thanks for sharing. I'll have to borrow some of your ideas on this.

  • Real Estate Professional · Salt Lake City, UT · Member since 2010 · 609 posts · 163 votes
    12y

    I have offered condolences and not offered it in my letters. I have had people scream at me for offering and others tear up because I did offer condolences. I think until one is sending thousands of letters a month and tracking well, little differences don't make a big difference. I don't test a lot though. I try different things; I just don't keep track of everything.

  • Investor · Baltimore, MD · Member since 2013 · 65 posts · 23 votes
    12y

    @Brian Davis

    @Gary Parker

    @Steven J.

    Fellas thank you much for the feedback and input.

    Brian - I was hesitant to put that piece in for the very reason you mention. However, I am going to initially take this approach because I see being open and honest. This is, after all, the reason that investors are suddenly knocking at the door. I am okay with losing a few potential purchases from folks who feel that the condolence was improper. I will try to keep track of response rate (including angry responses!) and update after I have some good empirical data.

    Steven - thanks for the feedback and glad you liked the letter. I agree that brevity is golden but was having difficulty in deciding what to slash in order to shorten. Any ideas?

    Gary - I agree. Thanks for confirming with your personal experience.

    Happy New Year, everyone!

  • Wholesaler · Phoenix, AZ · Member since 2013 · 36 posts · 7 votes
    12y

    I haven't mail out any probate letters, however when I do from my research on BP I would not say any condolence, I would keep it simple Like im interesting in buying your house make it seem like you didnt even know what happen act like its a random YL you send to the area and it just happened to come at that time. IMO.

  • Flipper / Wholesaler · Farmington, CT · Member since 2012 · 189 posts · 89 votes
    12y

    I have sent yellow letters saying that I received their information from the probate court and understand they may be looking to sell a home..I am a cash buyer if they would like to talk. The response has been good...I see no reason not to be completely honest up front as to where you got their information. imo, if they are truly motivated it probably doesn't matter if you send them a note on a napkin.

    I think I remember Sharon Vornholt offering condolences and she seems to be the expert in mailing probates so my opinion is pretty much irrelevant as I am by no means an expert at direct mail to probate leads.

    I think that sending different types of letters would probably go far..standard generic yellow letter, a yellow letter with different wording maybe 2 months later, a business letter with your photo or logo on it, a white letter that looks personal...it seems that people are going to respond differently to different looking mail pieces...maybe offering condolences works well in certain areas of the country and not so well in others?

  • Lender · Greater LA/Orange County area, CA · Member since 2012 · 3k+ posts · 3k+ votes
    12y

    I've been marketing to probates probably longer than anyone here but it's not my opinion that counts. Nor Sharon's. Not even yours, I'm afraid to say.

    The only vote that counts is the person who reads your letter, contacts you and agrees to sell you the property. Everyone else is just debating the topic.

  • Flipper / Wholesaler · Farmington, CT · Member since 2012 · 189 posts · 89 votes
    12y

    of course it only matters what the recipient thinks, but unless we are doing a follow up phone interview with the people that receive the mailing, we really do not know except by the responses we get as the people mailing. So we end up here discussing what works and what doesn't. For someone inexperienced and on a limited budget, it is often times best to get opinions from other investors so a mailing is not wasted.

    Testing is great but it is very tough on a $3,000 budget to adequately split test a mailing, let alone test many different factors. So if you are starting to mail, you better come out of the gate with a well thought out mail piece or it could become very discouraging for the new guy.

    It seems sometimes the best option is for the generic yellow letter because it is tried and tested and people will call but with a formal letter like a lot of people send out with probates, the responses will typically not be as many so any feedback from experienced guys is always helpful.

    That's the main reason this site is so powerful..the ability to stand on the shoulders of successful people so you can get off on the right foot.

    I started mailing as a real estate agent 10 years ago when I started out and I got sold some really bad ideas that cost me a lot of money with no return. It wasn't until years later that I found the yellow letter as an investor and was amazed at how much money I had spent prior due to bad advice or by not talking to the right people.

    Everyone sending direct mail will spend lots of money learning to become successful, but any ideas we can throw around here are going to help someone i'm sure. and hopefully those ideas allow them to get a great response, a deal, and the push to keep moving forward.

  • Investor · Albuquerque, NM · Member since 2011 · 10 posts · 2 votes
    12y
    Originally posted by @Carlos Ayuso:

    I haven't mail out any probate letters, however when I do from my research on BP I would not say any condolence, I would keep it simple Like im interesting in buying your house make it seem like you didnt even know what happen act like its a random YL you send to the area and it just happened to come at that time. IMO.

    That's also occurred to me, but then I've also realized that the person receiving it will most likely NOT believe it to be a coincidence, UNLESS you send a few of that same mail piece to most of the executor's closest neighbors down the same street he/she lives at.

  • Investor · Albuquerque, NM · Member since 2011 · 10 posts · 2 votes
    12y
    Originally posted by @Brian Davis:

    IMO, offering your sincerest condolences to someone you don't know is not sincere and could be seen by the recipient as very fake. I have noticed this on many samples I have been seeing and it seems to me that one thing line could be the kiss of death for a mailing like this.

     I think that an executor reacting like this to an investor's letter is most likely a "cynical person".  So IMO, I think you're PROBABLY better off sending your letter WITH the condolences, just so you can weed out these type people.  I believe that in most cases cynical peeps will want "an all cash offer with an at or near retail price" for the property anyway.  JMO.  Obviously the best way to know for sure is to just test! ;-)

  • Flipper/Rehabber · Bakersfield, CA · Member since 2008 · 3k+ posts · 3k+ votes
    12y

    with marketing the goal is to earn the highest net net profit dollar that we can which is driven by systems of duplicateable performances.  

    Getting lucky on purpose requires research and capital.   

    @Rick H. is correct.  To take that further test test and retest. 

    And certainly don't settle for your expectation. 

  • Marcus Hook, PA · Member since 2014 · 40 posts · 9 votes
    11y

    Hello @Travis Lauchman ,

    I'm looking to get a hold of a probate list for my area and start mailing as soon as possible. This is a great help. It doesn't hurt to try. Hopefully I'll have a great response rate. 

    Thank you alot

  • Investor · Baltimore, MD · Member since 2013 · 65 posts · 23 votes
    11y

    Good luck, Carl! Oftentimes these lists are available via public records so do some research prior to dropping any coin.

    Best,
    Travis

  • Hooversville, PA · Member since 2015 · 2 posts · 0 votes
    11y

    Thank you so much for this sample letter.  I wanted to send one due to a recent passing.  Ilive in a small town and even though I personally didn't know the woman who passed, everyone else in my family did. My brother-in-law even mows the grass at the property.  I definitely want to send my condolences.  I have to confess I feel a little ghoulish doing this, but I also know of another property in my county that is absent due to the death of a former client.  I figure I might as well ask if the families (who are both from out-of-town) want to dispose of the property in the most painless manner possible.  I'll let you know if either family wants to sell.  

  • Portsmouth, NH · Member since 2015 · 44 posts · 11 votes
    11y

    @Travis Lauchman just seeing this post now and it has been very informative and helpful.  First off, I think your letter is fantastic.  It is not very pushy and you portray the message well which I believe may make the potential seller more comfortable with you.  

    A few questions though.  I see this thread is a bit older now so I am curious to hear what your success rate was with this letter.  I am assuming this was a typed white letter?  Also do you put your full name in these letters?

    Thanks Travis, and great feedback from everyone else as well!

  • Investor · Connersville, IN · Member since 2014 · 28 posts · 4 votes
    9y

    Great stuff Travis! Thanks for posting. Still good today!

  • Investor · Atascadero, CA · Member since 2015 · 238 posts · 90 votes
    9y

    @Travis Lauchman I know this is long past the point but personally, I would leave the condolences in if you actually feel for the families loss. Be true to who you are. If you don't really care, then leave it out. I think the letter is well written and you sound like, yes, you would like to buy the house but if they decide to go a different route you can assist them in that journey as well.

    That being said, how did it work out for you? (and thank you for sharing.)

  • Real Estate Agent · Livingston · Member since 2017 · 109 posts · 6 votes
    9y

    @Travis Lauchman can you share the empirical data? Have you made any tweaks to the letter? Any success?

  • Residential Real Estate Broker · Huntington, NY · Member since 2016 · 1 post · 0 votes
    8y

    @Travis Lauchman - I'd love to hear your input and experience with your letter! Bumping this conversation. Please share. thanks Travis 

  • Pittsburgh, PA · Member since 2011 · 1 post · 0 votes
    8y

    Hello Good Morning Can You Please Send Me The Link ,So That I Can Start Using This Probate Letter,It Would Be Deeply Appreciated Thank You Sincerely David

  • Real Estate Agent · Sacramento/Placer ~ San Francisco Bay Area counties · Member since 2012 · 1k+ posts · 743 votes
    8y

    @David Boden

    On the top bar of Biggerpockets go to Tools then Fileplace. Go to Letters and then at #13 look for Probate Letter sent to PR.

    Good luck..

  • Member since 2018 · 3 posts · 2 votes
    8y
    Originally posted by @Mark Pedroza:

    @David Boden

    On the top bar of Biggerpockets go to Tools then Fileplace. Go to Letters and then at #13 look for Probate Letter sent to PR.

    Good luck..

     Thank you I been noticing you on different sites replying to questions I just want to thank you I have learned a few valuable nuggets from your responses greatly appreciated each one teach one!

  • Real Estate Broker · Athol, MA · Member since 2013 · 22 posts · 16 votes
    8y

    Nice letter! Here is my opinion; There is nothing insincere about caring that another human being has lost a loved one, and in this case it is worded as such.  I for one would think it a sign of caring, not an insult. After all, when we go to social media places like Facebook, etc., do we not offer condolences even though we are not directly involved with the person? I feel it is simply human decency. I would leave that in the letter.

  • Member since 2018 · 1 post · 0 votes
    6y

    Thank you for posting this.  I have been wanting to send mail and had no idea what to say. Your letter is a blessing.  Thanks

  • Real Estate Agent · Pittsburgh, PA · Member since 2022 · 14 posts · 1 vote
    3y

    How do you guys figure the pr?

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