Need help creating a list for my direct mail campaign

[Tarik Milner]

Hello BP members,

I’m getting into the wholesaling game and trying to put together a list for my direct mailing and cold-calling. Before purchasing a list online I would like to know if anyone has experience with a good list site worth the money.

[Jerry Puckett]

@Tarik Milner,

Okay, Atlanta is fun. I've worked with a few out there....

I for more or less agree with Michael's criteria (I've learned a lot from him over the years), but here are the criteria I use:

LIST CRITERIA.

• Drill down to specific zip codes avoiding both war zones and "McMansion" areas....unless that's your niche...most deals are going to happen in bread and butter areas
• Absentee Owned
• 40% equity or greater
• 0-50% All Combined LTV (a good combo with the equity filter; can help eliminate things like HELOCS and second mortgages, other things that will eat up equity)
• Find median home price for your area (I do it per each Zip then average) and set maximum market value, or assessed value no more than 50k higher
• 5 + years of ownership
• Single Family (Property types>Detailed Property Types>Residential>SFR......I do it this way because ListSource occasionally has trouble differentiating Condos from detached homes)
• No Corporate owned
• Include Trust owned - Trusts buy and sell as much as any one else

If you need more names, save this search with a unique name first, then 

1. go to the options tab and select Owner Occupied, 
2. then the demographics tab and select Age 65+, 
3. Change Length of Residence to 10 years+

This will give you high equity owner occupants ready to downsize.

Once you have the list, you'll have to bring it somewhere else to get phone numbers, but I really urge you to think that through first....I know there's big buzz about cold calling right now, but the buzz does not line up with my experience.