I do not send letters because I do exactly what Rick said and do my title due diligence before reaching out and look for the best deals and the low hanging fruit, then I skip those people using my own techniques which I posted in another post. https://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/93/topics/290841-ugly-abandoned-house---where-can-i-find-the-owner I call these people personally as these deals are golden and get probably a 50-70% closing rate by solving problems.I hope this helps.

The deal looks like this.5 Bedrooms/ 2 full baths large yard with 7 fruit trees security system on windows New Rooffull fence Two car garageShe had it listed for $170,000 but the Agent claims that she didn't have it on the market for long enough. 

But more I think you should just put "what to do when the listing agent sucks" in your tool-box as one more thing at your disposal, rather than necessarily putting all your eggs in this basket.

@Michael ModestoGift baskets are usually a classy and well-received gesture. 

I think you will find the Midwest a fruitful investing opportunity.Here in Indianapolis, small multi units [duplex] don't really very well.  

Don't put all your eggs in this basket.  

@Mauricio HernándezLong gone are the days of the low hanging fruit.

These are low hanging fruit leads from a ton of marketing that gets funneled down from virtual assistants and he handles the ones ready to deal. 

Video games are interactive, TV is mind numbing - but I digress) , and adding collective wisdom to my REI knowledge banks.However, if you'd like to create fruit from your time, here are some suggestions:1.  

I'm sure others have done it with the HELOC as you described. i just like taking the low lying fruit of what financing is easily available.