Assessing condition of property of direct mail respondents?

[Jennifer Almarine Beu]

Hello BPers! Newbie here-- I'm mapping out my planned direct mail process right now. I know the market I want to target, I know where to get lead lists, I have an idea of what I'd say in my letters/postcards.

My question is, when the recipient of a mailer calls and leaves a voicemail, how do I assess the condition of the property to give them an offer? Do I estimate it solely based on the exterior condition of the property (assuming the exterior condition is a good indicator of the interior condition)? Do I tell them I'd like to have a contractor stop by to quickly look over the property? I'm kind of at a loss on how to get from Point A to Point B.

Thank you for your help!

[Ryan Kelley]

I recently listened to a book foreclosures called Bidding to Buy. In the event of a foreclosure, it is not possible to get inside the house, thus potential buyers are forced to use clues from the outside of the house. The authors, David Osborn and Aaron Amuchastegui, suggested hiring a helper to investigate the prospects. Their reasoning was that if you had a trusted ally doing the precursory work, you can save your time for the overall management of the process. For the authors, analyzing LOTS of deals was the key to making a few deals.