You have read a lot about direct mailing and how it is one of the best ways of finding motivated sellers and buying real estate. Direct mailing is in fact very effective but most new entrants in real estate industry tend to drop it after trying it once. The reason behind that is not with direct mailing but the way they go about it.
Mistakes to Avoid
You spend hours typing all those letters and fatigued out by the time you finish putting stamps and post them. What you actually get in return after weeks of waiting is calls from people who are only interested in knowing how much you will pay and not in a hurry to sell. What actually happens is that once you get your first list you are concentrated on the great deals that you will make rather than on the method.
Direct mailing gets you motivated sellers only if you have a well thought of and organized direct mailing plan that will get you calls from motivated sellers interested in making a sale.
Principles of Direct Mailing
– The lists that you request or buy or search on the internet should relate to your target segment. If you are targeting premium real estate, real estate foreclosures or pre-foreclosures you should use the relevant criterion for generating mailing lists.
– Only those lists matter that suit your specific needs and strong points. Generate your mailing lists from sources that provide lists of people who fall in the category you are looking for. However, before getting in a long term contract try for a month or two to check whether you are getting updated information.
– If it is foreclosures that you are focusing on then get it from a reputable source that provides updated information. If you are looking for a tired landlord or rentals then you need a list of absentee landlords, which means a list of properties where the tax bill is being sent to a different address.
– While drafting letters stick to the selected criterion and include only those points that are relevant. For example, if you are writing to an owner of a self occupied house in prime real estate avoid mentioning that you buy houses that have tenants. On the other hand, for rental foreclosures, write that you may take over the payments and also find buyers who will handle tenant terrors.
– You may come across inflexible sellers who want a retail price and all cash. One way to avoid them is to mention clearly in your letters to contact you only if they have a degree of flexibility in either of the two things: cash price or terms.
Most importantly, consider direct mailing an investment and not an expense. You may not get immediate results because you never know how many motivated and/or flexible sellers there are in a list. Keep at it and do it the right way and you increase your chances of buying real estate.