Call or Mail Absentee Owners?

[Kyle Wenger]

I have used Listsource for finding all the absentee owners in the area I'm looking to purchase buy and hold property (around 300). The last couple nights I have been Google street viewing the addresses of the the properties on the list to familiarize myself with them. I put a star next to the properties I would someday like to own, the ones that look distressed, and noted the people who own more than one property in the area. Now that I know who the investors are in the area, would you recommend I straight up call them and let me know my goals and ask if they would be interested in selling any of their properties or to keep me in mind if they ever do want to sell? Or should my first interaction be through a mailed letter? I feel like a phone call might have a lot more substance, and people would remember who I am. Or do I take the networking approach and let them know I am interested in real estate investing and don't ask anything about selling but instead build a relationship with them? Is what I did creepy, or is that a common thing? I would love to hear how others would approach this scenario...