All Forum Posts by: Beverly Buella

Does anyone have a direct mail software that they use?  I haven't looked into anything like this and don't know what to expect it terms of cost, I just know that the spreadsheet I've been using (which is not too sophisticated, but not basic either) is not one that can be used if I wanted to ramp up the quantity and frequency of my mailings and manage/keep track of incoming calls.  Just wondering if there's anything out there that is investor friendly that can keep track of 5 different mailing campaigns at a time, as well as phone calls, seller notes, etc.  Any feedback is much appreciated.  Thanks!

Hi there,

I have been targeting neighborhoods, placing post-it notes on properties and have gotten a great response.  i.e, I'll walk up and down a block of 20 houses and get 1-3 calls.  I want to expand this because I can't possibly be effective doing this  all by myself.  

In doing this myself, I figured it took me no more than 15 minutes to do 20-25 properties- so say 80-100 properties in an hour if I'm trying to source this out.  

For anyone out there is doing flyer or door-to-door marketing:

a) What do you do to ensure that your marketing is actually being placed vs. thrown in the trash?

b)  What do you pay for something like this?  I'm purely basing my numbers on an hourly rate of $10-$12 an hour, depending on how reliable/serious the applicant is.  Is this too much?  Too little?  I just think it sounds daunting to get paid $10-$12 an hour to put up 100 post-its, so to make $100 someone has to put up 1000 flyers/post-its? 

In writing this I realized that I might just scope out the people who put the flyers/circulars at doorsteps and see if I can get one of them to do it for me.  However, any feedback would be appreciated.

Thanks!

Bev

Hi there,

I am looking to do mailings to attorneys in my area and am wondering if anyone can recommend a list provider for attorneys? I've found a few on the internet but would prefer to use one that is recommended before moving forward with some random provider.

Thanks so much,

Beverly

Hi there,

Just wondering how wholesalers typically compensate realtors. 

-  Do you do a flat fee?  i.e. $500 for every deal closed

-  Do you do a regular realtor commission? i.e. if the property sells for $100,000, the realtor gets $3,000 (based on 3% commission).

-  Do you do 50/50?  Realtor gets half of what you make?

I've done various things based on how much "skin" is in the deal.  I'm asking because I was approached by a realtor who has buyers that don't seem to fit her expertise, which is the retail market.  I was thinking of doing 50/50, for a couple of reasons, but I'm just curious to see how some fellow wholesalers have structured the compensation with realtors, especially if the buyers that were referred to you by the realtor tend to close multiple deals.

Thanks so much-

Bev

Thanks everyone for your replies/ideas. I wanted to hear some ways that investors are leveraging their title company relationship and appreciate all the feedback.

@Cliff Mccue Thanks for that. I've done business with different title companies, but whenever it is my choice- I always go to my go-to title person. I've referred several contacts, but honestly, we just never had the conversation on how to help grow each others business, so the suggestions are much appreciated. My question was prompted because I was approached by another title company which made me think, "what's the difference if I use person A or B?"

@Rick H. Please don't make assumptions on my position in my market ("if you were a player") and how I do business based on one forum question/post. I have referred many of my investor contacts to my title person- not only those that I've actually closed deals with at her office- and have never conducted business with an "all about me" mindset.

Thx everyone-

Bev

Josh,

Thanks for your reply. She isn't necessarily growing my business the way I'm growing hers. If I'm bringing new investors into her office to close deals and they continue to use her, then I'm growing her business. If I close a deal that I've farmed/spent marketing money on, that's a lot different. It sounds like you're suggesting that the only way to grow my business is to do more marketing, which I disagree. Another way to grow business is to strengthen existing relationships, which is why I posted the question. I want to hear whether there are ways investors are using their title company to gain new leads. Otherwise, what's the difference if I use her vs. any other title company? What makes closing a property with her different than going through someone else? I get requests to work with different title companies all the time, so I want to hear from others whether there's something that they do to strengthen their title company relationship that I may be missing.

Thanks again-

Bev

Hi there,

I met someone who works for a title company at a networking event last week and exchanged info. Just curious, I already have a title person that I've worked with, but always think it's good to make new contacts in the industry. She takes care of me when I have a property to close and I've worked with her for a number of years, but I can't say that I've gained new business from working with her. Not her fault, I just haven't thought of ways we can help build each others business. Can anyone share with me any ways they use their current title company, with whom they've done business with over the years, to get leads/new business?

Thanks!

Thx everyone for your feedback. Lots of information to consider. Much appreciated!

Hi there!

I am contemplating on getting my RE license and just wanted some feedback from anyone who is a licensed agent and wholesaler. I've been wholesaling for about 7 years and am wondering if I will need to make any noticeable changes to my direct marketing and how I present myself to sellers if i become a licensed agent. The main reason I want my license is because there have been a few times that I've purchased and rehabbed the property and listed it on the MLS, as well as listed a property that I intend to wholesale on the MLS. Fees that could be avoided if I had my license. However, I am aware that I would also be incurring fees if I hang my license with a broker. Anyhow, I just wanted some thoughts on the topic to determine whether it's worth getting. As a side note, I do have access to the MLS already so I don't need my license to get the access. Also, I am based in Philadelphia.

Thanks!

Bev

Jonathan,

"Absentee owners" refers to anyone who owns a property and doesn't live in the property. You can use a list provider like Listsource to get you a list of absentee owners or if you have MLS access you can pull the list yourself. Another way you can find an owner is using public records to find the name of the owner. You can google the person to see if they died or if there's any info out there regarding the owner. You can also use a source like People Finders or anything similar, to find a relative of an owner and contact the relative.

Hope this helps.

Good luck-

Bev