All Forum Posts by: John Horner

Always playing the devil's advocate @Bill Gulley , I like that!

The post was meant to be more about the mail piece then the list

Let's say I'm sending it to the 59-62 crowd, or any high equity owner occupant, then what type of letter would you use?

@Manny Cirino , good idea!

I really like adding the FAQ page!

I am mailing to a new list of pre-foreclosures at 6-12 weeks before they go to auction.

Is a postcard enough to get them to call, or is a handwritten letter or typed letter the best?

What is the best message without offending them?

In the past all of my direct mail has been to high equity Absentee Owners. I started with yellow letters but found that Postcards really work best to reduce tire kickers and promote motivation.

I am trying a new list and I'd like your opinion on what is the best form of direct mail.

I have a list of 1800 owner occupants, age 65 and over, 70% equity or more and only in the prime zips.

I am thinking because of the higher end area that a typed letter is best, but what is the best message for this group?

Thanks all!

After evaluating both of these I have found the following:

REIOS.com starts as a menu service. I am looking for a personal assistant/recemptionist feel. The "press 1 for English" type menu does not make the callers feel like their dealing with a local investor.

CallRuby.com looks good, except it is VERY expensive. The industry standard seems to be $1.00/minute or so and callruby is charging about $2.50/minute. I think they offer a lot of services that I do not need at this time.

Right now I have it narrowed down to VoiceNation.com and AnswerAmerica.com. Both are flexible and will input the info onto your online form but reasonably priced as well!

I will let you all know how it goes!

Thanks @Misty W. and @Jared Anderson !

I will check these both out!

Our marketing for motivated sellers is getting way to big to answer the phones ourselves. I know some people here on BP prefer VA's, but I haven't have great experiences with VA's, so I want to try a Live answering service.

On top of that I still work full-time, so trying to call everyone back in my spare time is becoming impossible.

I would appreciate any opinions, good or bad, on live answering services you've used!

Has anyone had any experience with this company, please share your feedback!

My problem is when I go to click on a monthly plan, my browser tells me it's potentially harmful and the license does not match up with the site it is taking me to. I have even tried to click through and I get more errors.

I called and the lady said she wasn't sure but was going to have Blair call me back to resolve, but I have not heard anything.

If you use a different Live Answering Service, please share your experiences!

5350 Hedgewood Rd Columbus, OH 43229 - 4 bed/2 bath, 1588 sf

Wholesale fix and flip in Northeast Columbus Ohio.

The numbers:

ARV: $120k

Rehab: $22.5k

Rent Rate: $1100

Purchase Price: $63,000

• 4 level split
• 2 fireplaces
• 4 bedrooms
• New roof and hot water heater in 2009

The house needs a lot of cosmetic work but our contractor came in just under $20k for full rehab including granite countertops and tile floors.

Here are 3 comps within a quarter-mile:

SOLD - 1241 Vinewood Dr Columbus, OH 43229 - $125k on 10/15/13

SOLD - 1703 Blue Ash Pl Columbus, OH 43229 - $125k on 11/25/13

SOLD - 5409 Maple Canyon Ave Columbus, OH 43229 - $125k on 12/31/13

We are accepting cash offers only.

Message, email or call me for more details!

@Christine Waltz

I wrote my first few hundred letters myself and got a great response and no motivation. My issue was I had so many tire kickers it wasn't worth it. For my last 3 campaigns I have used a mail-merge postcard. I have found that for me, postcards generate less response but higher quality leads. In my opinion, yellow letters tend to attract more curiosity then motivation.

I actually word my postcard the same way I did my yellow letter. Simple matte yellow card with mail-merged names and addresses. Simply says who I am, what I do and how I can help them.

I hit over 3% response on my last mailing which I think is darn good for a postcard. Not too mention its cheaper and WAY less time consuming then doing letters yourself :)

Good luck!