All Forum Posts by: Chrissy Parsons

@Ben Rodrigue Congratulations on getting started! Which list did you choose to mail to on your first campaign?

@Matt Robinson Are you recommending that students mail to Seniors with Low Financial Stability Scores (FSS)? 

Seniors who have owned their home for 15 or more years can be great targets - ready for downsizing or transitioning to assistance. It's also likely that they have deferred maintance and haven't done remodeling for quite some time so it is natural that they could expect a pennies on the dollar offer.

@Sunny Malik - Sounds like you are working in a good direction with some pretty good questions. You can work with a mailing list broker who can help build your list and offer suggestions. 

You might consider mixing in some Seniors with 15+ year ownership along with the Absentee to build up the size of your list.  Keep in mind that in most competitive real estate markets that Absentee owners have been getting mail from other investors.

As for the equity question. Consider a loan to value of 0-59% (at least 41% equity). 

Be sure to ask when your list was run through the post office's National Change of Address (NCOA) to minimize wasting postage.

@Ben Rodrigue Congratulations on your first deal and getting started with marketing. 

What target list did you choose for your first mailing?

@Account Closed I can't think of any cons of including your website. And don't forget your email.

There are a lot of people out there who might have a spark of interest but aren't ready to fully commit to submitting themselves to making a phone call to get a sales pitch. 

Make it easy to learn more and in this world of email and text that they don't have to actually talk to someone as first contact.

What sort of list are you sending to? 

@Rich Hupper Maybe start with a softer approach. "I've been hoping to buy a house in your neighborhood. Have you thought about selling?" then you also have the opening for an important back up question. "do you know of anyone else who might be?"

Great news that your mail campaign have been working. What sort of targets have you been sending to?

@Albert Mainja Keep in mind that marketing is a numbers game. What are you calling "a good number of potential properties"? Driving for dollars can be great for identifying a property, but you don't have anything additional on owner motivation for selling, so you need even more leads to contact to get a good chance at a deal. Fifty to a hundred might seem like a lot..... but.

Consider augmenting your effort with a purchased list. You can work with a list broker to get suggestions.

One recommendation for a crowded real estate market might be Seniors with 15+ year ownership and low Financial Stability Scores (FSS). Add in the type of property (single, multi, condo), number of bedrooms and home value.  Now you have a list of 1. homes you want to buy, 2. from owners how have motivation to sell.

Whatever list you buy, be sure to ask how often it is run through the National Change of Address (NCOA) and what other postal services they use to ensure higher deliver-ability.

@Charlie Clough - have you thought about a strategy for finding property?  Direct mail has proven quite effective, provided you find a targeted list that hasn't been over-mailed in your area. Consider working with a list broker for suggestions.

If you are planning to mail, be sure to ask how often your list is run through the National Change of Address (NCOA) to weed out owners who have moved.

Direct mail has been a very successful tool for investors. You can work with a list broker to get suggestions on targets for your campaign. 

A lot of people have been mailing to Absentee Homeowners. The thought being that they can be motivated to sell after getting tired of dealing with property that they don't live in.  

Another target is Seniors with 15+ year ownership. These folks are often ready to downsize or transition to assistance.  Additionally, they may have fallen behind on remodeling and deferred repairs so they will be expecting lower offers. Add in another level of motivation with Low Financial Stability Scores (FSS).

Just be sure that the list you get has been run through the National Change of Address (NCOA). You want to minimize the wasted postage by mailing to bad addresses.

What is your plan for marketing to find the off-market deals? Do you have a budget for direct mail? If so, what sort of target list are you thinking of? Keep in mind that you have to get creative in the competitive markets. Absentee Owners might already be getting lots of offers.