All Forum Posts by: Chrissy Parsons

Facebook and websites are good to have in your marketing tools. However they require that someone be actively looking. You can use mail to reach people who haven't taken any steps yet.

Marketing where you reach out to people rather than waiting for them to find you.

@Brendan Bruno and @Elisha Ballard It's not uncommon for counties to put restrictions on the use of Tax Lien data as the feel it could be predatory. If it is ok to use, you might find that all the other investors are mailing to the same people offering to take the house off their hands.

Fortunately there are alternatives. You can get a list of HomeOwners with Low Financial Stability Scores (FSS). These folks are likely to struggling financially and may or may not have reached the point of default or tax liens. While getting a list like this, you can also specify owner occupied/absentee, equity, length of ownership, home value etc.

This is a numbers game, so it's best to mail to as many people as you can. Think about working with a list broker to help optimize your list for your area.

If you are one of the investors starting to use the telephone for prospecting, finding the phone numbers to call can be problematic. 

RE-Investor List can append the telephone numbers to your lists. You just need the name and mailing address of the owner. Pay only for the matched records.

Visit: https://re-investorlist.com/get-phone-numbers/ to learn more and request information.

@ Ryan Dosenberry, I'll respond to you privately (no self-promotion allowed)

@Jose I Martinez Personalized, benefits-driven mail is the way to go. Let them know why YOU will make it easy for them to sell their house and move. I wrote a blog post about sending letters to seniors, but this could apply to everyone.  You want to buy their home – Get the attention of Senior Homeowners

@Steve Maginnis You can work with a mailing list broker - and pay about the same or less than with one of the online sites. A good Absentee (non-owner occupied) list is sourced through county records and are identified as the owner having a separate primary mailing address from the property. 

One way to assure better deliverability is to get a list that has been run through postal certifications. Two to ask about are National Change of Address (NCOA) and CASS Certification (assures that it is a "deliverable" address)

Charlotte is a fairly competitive market when it comes to competing with other investors. It's likely that some of these owners are already getting multiple offers. A list broker can suggest some other lists to combine in - such as Homeowners with Low Financial Stability Scores (FSS) or Seniors with 20+ year Ownership.

@Charles Morris there are pros and cons with them all. Someone has to be actively looking to sell their property to start looking on social media (if they are still searching after a visit with a realtor)

Mail is expensive, but can be targeted. I like @Andrew LeBaron's comment about markets being different for the targets. In some, Absentee can be effective. In FL many absentees are second home owners as people get ready to move down for retirement. You might consider Seniors with 15+ year Ownership. These guys might be ready to downsize or move into a living situation with assistance. You can also send to Homeowners with Low Financial Stability Scores (FSS). These let you reach people before they are on the pre-foreclosure lists that other are mailing to .

A list broker can help you find targets if you decide to go the mail route.

You might try working with a mailing list broker to find some alternatives to the absentee list. One might be Homeowners with Low Financial Stability Scores. 

@Kevin Leppink I totally agree with  @Brian Pulaski.  I think in general people like to help and the sentimental angle could help them decide to sell to YOU. As absentee owners, they might already be getting mail from other investors.

I would also take advantage of your history with the house to talk to the neighbors. It sounds like you already know where they live (Sandy), but you might get some insights on why they moved and maybe why the house hasn't sold. That way you can tailor your note to them so you are addressing the issues they have.