Probate questions

[Adriana L.]

Hi guys,

I pulled out a list of probate and I am getting ready to send out the first batch of direct mail, hopefully this week end. Before I do so I had few questions I need help with:

1. What is the time frame for probate? If it has just been filed, how long from now can I still send mail to it?

2. Some on here use white letters that computer generated, any idea on the color of the envelope?

3. Lastly, I would appreciate some help with the content in the letter from those who have done probate and have been successful with it.

Thank you all !!

[Gerald Demers]

Time for probate varies and depends on other assets and what the beneficiaries of the estate do. If they are disagreeing, it can take a long time but that in itself creates some opportunities. Some beneficiaries are in no hurry to complete the probate process; some are.

How long to send? You keep sending until the property is sold to an arm's length buyer. This is the challenging part of probate but there is value in it and a great job for a VA.

I have my mailing list in Excel and I constantly scrub it. I add several columns to the front to record the days I mailed to them. If I get a response from them, I move that record/line to another worksheet called Contact Received. I connect with them and capture mynotes and take appropriate action. If I make an offer on the place, I move that record to my Offers Worksheet. This way, I know how many times I sent to the address, if contact and offers were made and the result.

At the same time, I can also look on the property appraiser's site for changes in ownership. If I see a new deed with a reasonable sale value assessed with it, it has probably been sold to a new arm's length buyer. If I see this, I remove this record from my mailing (scrub my list). If you see it transfer to a beneficiary, I update the record in my Excel worksheet, move the record to my Beneficiaries worksheet and mail to them.

I hope this helps you, 

Gerald Demers