I guess I am another statistic who joins BP and disappears.

The masses seem to preach direct mail as the tried and true way, but like Alex mentioned, in this competitive market is direct mail a viable option for those who don't have a budget of $3,000+/month.Any feedback and statistics (response rates, deal conversion rates etc.) from people currently doing direct mail in SoCal would be greatly appreciated. 

Here are a few sources:http://www.crimemapping.com/http://www.goccp.maryland.gov/msac/crime-statistic...On the right hand bar of this page you have excel stats. http://www.goccp.maryland.gov/msac/crime-analysis-...

Interest in EU property remains strongThe latest Quarterly Index statistics from the Overseas Guides Company (OGC) indicate increased interest in property abroad.

To quote the British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli: "There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics."

I heard on a recent podcast that you can easily pull real estate statistics for your target market through REA (I'm not even sure this acronym is correct)?

@Ken P. experience beats statistics everyday.

Anyone that tells you they have a certain ratio are basing that number on yesterday or today expenses not on the full life of the property. 40% would be good, depending on the type of property, 50% is the statistical average based on tens of thousands of properties over many decades of collecting data. 

You can do everything from learn how to invest in notes, to participate in his fund.RESOURCE SITES http://nvms.com/ (Greatest vendor mgmt site) http://www.bestplaces.net/ (breaks down area demographics, crime rates, income, housing) https://www.google.com/earth/ (virtual Drive bys on the house and surrounding area) http://publicrecords.netronline.com/ (for public records research) Zillow.com (value) Pacer.gov (Bankruptcy info) Narrpr.com (if you are a realtor this is a great source for information) Homesnap.com (value) Realquest.com (this is a pay site, good for information) www.express.realquest.com Wegolook.com (awesome site, pay someone to go out and look at property for you and inspect it) http://shackshout.com/ (research site) http://www.rentometer.com/ (Great site to get rental rates) http://www.gosection8.com/ (Section 8 Rentals) http://www.foreclosurelaw.org/ (foreclosure information)(Statistical references for the industry)www.census.gov/housing/www.nahb.org/(Housing Statistics) www.nahb.org/(Housing Economics) www.Mortgagestats.com www.nationalmortgageprofessional.com/ www.calculatedriskblog.com www.housingwire.com www.bankregdata.com/main.aspwww.realtytrac.com/ www.realtor.org www.corelogic.com www.realtor.com/news/real-estate-news/www.dsnews.comwww.dataquick.com www.bloomberg.com/ www.bankregdata.com/ www.deptofnumbers.com www.deptofnumbers.com/rent/us/ www.mortgagenewsdaily.com www.mybudget360.com/home/(Legal Reference sites) http://www.alllaw.com/ServicersFCI Lender Services http://www.trustfci.com/SN Servicing https://borrower.snsc.com/

This is an interesting article which takes a look at the statistical correlations behind property valuations.