All Forum Posts by: Joe Horan

@Daniel Mendez

My assistant handwrites a few of my niche lists. They are small enough that we can manage. Everything else is printed using standard direct mail equipment. I made a sizeable investment in direct mail equipment and then brought it in house. I don't recommend anyone doing this though. I got my cost down but now I have a weekly task/job instead of outsourcing it and putting it on autopilot. 

@Nathaniel Hovsepian

Nice. I’d be happy if I got that same number per deal. Might have to give PPC a shot.

Thank you!

@Nathaniel Hovsepian

If you don't mind me asking, how much does it cost you in PPC dollars to land a deal? I'm interested in expanding our marketing and have considered PPC. 

@Brandon Stevenson

Hahaha! That’s me! Or one of them anyway.

Tax delinquency is a good list. I've done obituaries as well but I've never had great luck with them. I still mail anyway. 

I've never been a huge fan of postcards but some people swear by them. I think you normally hear you get fewer calls but those that do call are more motivated vs letters where all kinds of people call in are trying to understand what it is you do. 

I do an invitation style envelope and letter. Both the envelope and letter are handwritten or use a font that looks handwritten. 

@Nicole Heasley Beitenman

I'm finding DMM is still alive and well. Maybe not as well as it used to be but I'm landing deals and it's my primary method of marketing. 

There is no doubt absentee owners are getting bombarded with letters. Even so, if you can stand out, make your piece look professional and like it's not mass-produced, and hit them at the right time, you'll get some deals. 

It's even better if you can get some niche lists and target those people. You'll be much more likely to land a deal if your prospects are receiving fewer options in the mail. 

In my opinion, direct mail. There is a huge learning curve but all my best deals are when I go direct to the seller. You'll get a lot of tire kickers calling in and people who want more than you can pay. That said, if you're sending enough mail, there is a deal in there somewhere. 

My mentors have never been concerned with it. And when I start mentoring, I don't think I'll be concerned with it either. Hopefully, a mentor/mentee relationship is more valuable than a few deals you might lose out to here and there. 

There is plenty to go around for everyone. 

+1 for Jynell Berkshire. She's my attorney and I've enjoyed working with her. 

Hi Chris,

I’m not sure if this will be helpful, but I’ll give it a shot.

Some of what you described is how I got started.

I started in 2017 after researching for about a year. I originally only wanted to do BRRRR deals. Despite my research, I knew nothing about real estate and where I thought my numbers should be. I poured over wholesaler deals and with my limited knowledge, I thought none of them were deals. (A lot of them aren't deals but there are some solid wholesalers in Indy that have good numbers. I know that now.)

I was doing all of my research while working a full-time job. But with my limited knowledge, I figured I could cut out the wholesalers to meet my numbers.

First lesson: wholesalers who bring legitimate deals earn their money. It’s not an easy job.

Second lesson: Sometimes the extra money saved isn’t worth all the work. It’s easier to pay the middle man.

All that said, I’m incredibly happy I started my investing business. I got started to find rentals. To date, I own zero. I’ve sold everything I’ve bought because I want the cash to grow. I’ve been successful enough that I don’t need a W2 to make ends meet. It allows my wife to stay home with our son, for me to work as I please and for us to have a real shot at financial independence. BRRRing might get you there, but it’ll be slower.

Owning and operating a business has been the hardest thing I’ve ever done. But it’s also been incredibly rewarding.

Only you can decide because it’s certainly not for everyone. And there were times where if I had to do it all over again, I wouldn’t.

But I’m still here and I’m glad I did it.