All Forum Posts by: Dev Horn

Totally agree with Jon Holdman - his post should be copied into every discussion about wholesaling, especially with no $$$/skin in the game. VERY difficult. But sold by all the gurus as "easy money"...

I agree with Michael Quarles. Almost every piece we are developing now is a variable print piece.

We use (mostly variable print) postcards that employ high-level branding that - we believe - is memorable even when they are only seen for a few seconds. And all our marketing has a common "look and feel" so they know they have seen it before. To Michael's point, you need to have your message there at the time the need arises for the home seller.

As a marketer with 30 years of experience, I'm not sure if the question is YL vs. PC. I think it's about creating awareness, laser focused targeting & messaging, and branding - all done CONSISTENTLY over time. We'll do direct mail (postcards) to our lists, followed up by door hangers in our target areas. The postcards and door hangers have the same look, messaging, etc. It is these multiple touch points, over time, that cause people to remember you and contact you when they have an urgent need to get out of their house.

Whoa! Apparently that dude was NOT receptive to the idea of selling fast for cash in "as-is" condition!

But really, to cuss someone out, you should use more variety in your profanity. Use more of the S word, C word, and P word in addition to the F word and its variant MF.

Marketing doesn't work. It's a waste of money. Stay at your boring "j.o.b." where your future is secure. Nobody makes money in real estate. There are no deals in your market. Listen to your father-in-law and go get a decent job down at the factory.

HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA...

=P

Absentee Leads - a "good" source is Click2Mail.com. A "great" source is Listsource.com (by CoreLogic).

LOVE your enthusiasm! I have 2 quotes for you:

"The best way to predict the future is to create it." ~ Peter Drucker

and

"All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them." ~ Walt Disney

Hey Remon Rasho - hang in there, bro!

Absentee Owners is both a great list and a crappy list. Great because you can find deals there. Crappy because EVERYONE markets to this list (in most areas).

I recommend to all our licensee investors that they market to absentee (in & out of state). However, it is kind of like going to other dogs in search of dog food, rather than heading up to the store. Most absentee owners ARE investors, so you're hoping to find a few that have terrible tenants, big problems with their rent house, negative cash flow, etc. If that is their situation, make sure to understand how it will not become yours (different tenants, different strategy - e.g. rehab & flip, lower price to allow for all repairs + profit, etc.).

In addition to that very specific list, identify key FARM AREAS where you'd like to own rent houses or do flips (whatever your interest) - maybe just like 2 to 5 ZIP CODES and create a list of everyone in that area that's a homeowners with 50%+ equity. Mail to that "High Equity Homeowner List" regularly (in addition to your absentees). Later on when the dough is rollin' in, you can expand your farm area. We see a lot of guys start with a huge area (2 or 3 COUNTIES) and they cannot effectively market to groups in that area with their limited marketing budgets. Smaller budget should equal smaller focus area, at least at the beginning.

Not sure about your area, but in mine, lots of investors call on the FSBO's in Craigslist. Most FSBOs want to save the real estate commission - they think they can pocket MORE $$ if they sell themselves. Their mindset is often not that of a "motivated seller". But who knows, maybe you can get lucky every now and then. At bare minimum, calling them will give you some practice at the drill of qualifying a "good lead".

To Bill's point, it IS a people business and that's why one of the most solid approaches used by most of the larger investors is direct mail to a well-defined set of target audiences - done CONSISTENTLY over time.

Don't make the rookie mistake of blowing a bunch of money on 1 or 2 mailings and then bailing out (see this ALL the time). I often advise, "Just because you send someone a postcard, that will not make them a motivated seller." By reaching our target audiences on a consistent basis, we will be top-of-mind when a "life event" occurs that creates that motivation.

OK, now to the REAL QUESTION, since we have Tucker Merrihew here in the thread.....

Does this form of marketing (sending out dollar bills) work for you? Does it double your response rate (immediately or ever the long term)?

I'm always interested in a unique approach to marketing. If it works, of course!

Our bandit signs use 4mm corrugated plastic and they hold up well. I believe Coroplast is an brand name for that material. 4mm is fine, you could be wasting money if your get anything thicker...

We only advise the use of bandit signs within the constraints of local ordinances & suggest that they never be "left out" but rather used over the course of a weekend, etc.