All Forum Posts by: Chrissy Parsons

EDDM is very restrictive. ONLY postcards 

NO letters.

No mailing list to buy, but no names or addresses on the postcard either.

When the post office first came out with this, the list industry thought that this was the nail on the coffin after email. The only winner we could see was the printers. They got to print more of the over-sized post cards. (not sure the restrictions on size today, but in the beginning it was just big)

Well it turned out to NOT be such a great deal - unless of course you are a pizza restaurant who does want to get to everyone. And you are only sending out in your back yard.

There is no segmentation. The jeweler wants high income, the day care center wants families with children, the RE Investor wants homeowners likely to sell and homes within specific price ranges.

You also have to get the post cards delivered to the post office that does the delivery. Drop off in person or ship them (by ups? :-) And then hope that THAT post office has a clue. As it has already been inferred in this conversation, the training and knowledge of the program is severely lacking.

Well, the internet hasn't killed direct mail. Because it is effective. And EDDM hasn't killed the list industry. Because segmentation and personalization are important. (do you really want the renters calling up?) 

Be aware that while the postage is cheap using EDDM, you don't have any segmentation. You can choose the "carrier routes", which are a partial zip code, based on the renter/homeowner % reported in the last census. You will be mailing to renters and homeowners with homes you might not want to buy.

Direct Mail Campaigns are a numbers game. You can focus based on zip codes or carrier routes (a postal designation for an area that is a subset of a zip code), home value and more based on your requirements. Unless you have a lot of free time and gas money, postage can seem like a bargain.

If you looking from the outside still won't give you the full picture - Did they fix the street appeal and leave the inside a mess or the other way around?

If you aren't confident in your list, contact a list broker to see what they can do to help narrow things down.

Consider working with a list broker rather than a "website" to get your seller leads. Your broker can make suggestions and help you to pull the best list for your campaign.

@Pierce Belton I agree with @Diane Campochiaro that the off-market leads are the way to go. Your evaluation might go quicker if you start with a list that has the home value used to narrow things down - and an audience that will be likely ready to order. San Diego tends to be a bit competitive for investors, so chances are the Absentee owners are already getting mail from several investors.

One to consider is Seniors with Low Financial Stability Scores (FSS). There are 1,910:

• Owner Occupied
• Age 50-89
• home value up to $400k
• 1860 single family and 50 multifamily (can adjust home value to get more)
• Low FSS

I wouldn't advise using someone else's old list. You will be wasting money on printing and postage sending material to people who have sold their home or moved.

The list is the least expensive part of your campaign, and shouldn't be what you scrimp on.

As for the target, I would suggest 2 audiences.

Absentee Homeowners - there are 877 in Pettis County, MO

• property could be rented, vacant or a second home
• eliminate known low equity
• Home value up to $150
• purchased 8+ years ago
• single and multifamily homes

Seniors with Low Financial Stability Scores - there are 649 in Pettis County

• Age 54-89
• Owner Occuipied
• Single family home
• 15+ year ownership
• Home value up to $150,000
• Low Financial Stability Score

One thing to think about in terms of leads. Most people listed in MLS have already taken action and done the work needed to be done on their house prior to listing. These updates are more than likely built into the asking price.

If you do a mail campaign to off-market leads you can offer a lower price because you will be doing the updates - and you will probably have a lower cost.

Hi @Deonnia Shortie Do you currently have investments in Dallas? Have you thought about using direct mail to find motivated sellers?

Welcome to Bigger Pockets.

@Al Mac, I agree that a lot of the letters and post cards are "in your face" and don't have much appeal when I get them. No, as @eric James mentioned, I'm not a motivated seller, but there are some letters that seem to resonate.

I have one in particular that talks about the pain it takes to fix the house up and have strangers walking through vs going "as is" with one 15 minute walk through. It didn't mention anything about rescuing me or make me think they thought I am desperate.

When you get a list and tailor your message to that audience (without specifically saying anything personal) that you can get some resonance with the owner.

Here's an example if you got a list of Seniors with 15+ year Ownership and Low Financial Stability Scores (FSS)

This group are often ready to downsize or transition to assistance. It's also unlikely that they have done any updating and kept up on all the maintenance so a lower offer is more reasonable and you have a renovation opportunity.

Include some points on the expense and responsibility of ownership and come up with a list of services you can offer to make it easy for them.  They can sell as-is and you can help to move (clean-up service). Find some people who run yard sales and purchase estate items that you can bring in. Work with realtor that can help them find smaller property or a rental. Make sure they know that you will do most of the work.

If someone has been thinking about selling, but are overwhelmed at the prospect of fixing the house to put it on the market, your letter could just do the trick if you let them know what you will do for them.

@Patrick Olownia In addition to Driving for Dollars - think about "Mailing for Money". 

Depending on your job and amount of free time, it could be cost and time effective to purchase a list to send out mail. You might consider contacting a mailing list broker who can make suggestions and customize lists such as Absentee Owners with Equity and Seniors with 15+ Year Ownership.