Owner Occupied instead of Absentee Owners?

[Matthew B.]

Today I was thinking about my direct mail results for the past 9 months:

14,000 pieces mailed = 1 deal

I've been mailing to absentee owners. They seem to fall into one of several categories.

(1) Snowbirds (because I'm in Florida) - they have no interest in selling, although they always respond and ask how much I would give them. 

(2) Other investors - they do not want to sell unless they can get twice what they paid and would rather hold the house and collect rent.

(3) Lunatics.

I rarely ever come across a house that is run down. They all seem to be in very good shape. Everyone also tells me they routinely receive direct mail from dozens of other investors.

So I'm thinking, why not mail to owner occupied properties? It seems like it would be worth a try. I know every area is different, and in my area the absentee owner pool seems to be suboptimal. 

Any thoughts?