All Forum Posts by: May Emery

@Evan Mack I agree with @Mike Flora. If real estate is your priority, put your cash to work to build your business. Consider a campaign to Seniors with Long Time Ownership or Owners with Low Financial Stability Scores (FSS). Absentee Owners are also a good target if your market isn't too crowded with investors.

@Sonny Christopher - I'll PM you.

@Riley Holt - Have you thought about how you are going to find the properties to buy? Sending postcards or letters to potential sellers can be effective. It's always best if you find someone before they have done all the work to fix their house and put it on the market. 

You can get a list of people who share characteristics with motivated sellers. One of the most popular is a list of Non-owner Occupied. You can get a list with the owner's mailing address and the property address. I'm not sure how hot the market is in Abilene, but in some areas these guys are getting a ton of mail.

Since you are handy, you might consider sending to Seniors with Long-time Ownership or Owners with Low Financial Stability Scores (FSS). Both these groups have a tendency to defer maintenance.

good luck 

@Dylan Bair - sounds like you are in a good spot to get started. Sending letters or post cards can be a good way to find sellers. Two targets for distressed homes would be Seniors with Long-time Ownership and Homeowners with Low Financial Stability Scores. Both these groups tend to defer maintenance... Also, they aren't the same people everyone else is mailing to.

Good luck!

So many postcards repeat the same thing - I WILL BUY YOUR PROPERTY FAST FOR CASH AS IS

You should consider a softer approach like "Selling your house can be easier than you think". The benefits of working with you will differ based on the audience. Seniors will appreciate that they don't have to fix up their house and have strangers traipsing through, invading their privacy. Absentee Owners have different hot spots.

Good luck

@Aariff Kadar I am responding to #4. Mail is one of the more effective ways to find off-market deals. Think about working with a list broker to get a good mix on your list.

I'd try to focus on one or two markets so you can learn something about them. 

Absentee Owners are good, but if you are working a competitive market, these guys might already be getting overloaded with mail.

Consider Seniors with Long-time Ownership and Owners with Low Financial Stability Scores.

Good luck!

@Matthew Rembish The primary problem with email is reach.  You are limiting who you contact by such a high percentage.  First, you don't have the addresses for for most of them. Second, spam filters are pretty smart, so there's a good chance that you won't make it into the in-box. Lastly, people are getting smart and are less likely to open emails that they don't know the sender.

All that said, it certainly won't hurt for you to send out email in addition to the physical mail. I don't know how big your list is, but you have a better chance if you send them individually (TIME). 

Be careful of the subject line - it's a big flag for the spam filters and is your chance to get them to open. Also put thoughtful text at the top where it will show in the preview. I'd avoid subjects like "I will buy your house fast for cash" and go more like "Selling a house can be easier than you expect"

Good luck

@Amir Khan If you plan to market to find deals, think about who you will mail to. There are a lot of different opinions. A Mailing List Broker can help suggest a mix so you aren't sending to the same people as every other investor. These might include

Absentee Owners with Equity

Seniors with Long-time Ownership

Owners with Low Financial Stability Scores (FSS)

@Sonny Christopher Consider working with a mailing list broker to get a mix of different types for your list. Some effective targets are:

Absentee Owners with Equity (but be aware that if you are in a competitive market, these guys might be getting a ton of offers from other investors)

Seniors with Long-time Ownership (ready to downsize or go to senior living options)

Owners with Low Financial Stability Scores (FSS) (can be applied to owner occ and absentee)

@Daniel Hawkins Have you thought about mailing to potential sellers? There are a number of lists with varying degrees of "motivation". You can send letters or post cards to Absentee Owners with Equity, Seniors with Long-Time Ownership and Home Owners with Low Financial Stability Scores (FSS). Find a list broker who can guide you.