History suggests that this area is basically a warzone and that investors should stay away, but recently I have been seeing a number of articles announcing big expansions/construction in the area.I know that most of these projects will be dependent on the market for oil/gas/petrochemicals but currently and at least for the forseeable future the energy market as a whole (besides coal) looks strong. 

When I see something announced for sheriff / tax in the local papers I dig in deep to find the owners info.

Interesting...I wonder if it's a location thing...My wife and I were talking about this the other day (when the USPS announced a $5B loss) and I pointed out that in 20+ years of sending/receiving mail, I can only think of one time (that I know of) where something didn't make it or ultimately get returned.But again, there could be lots of factors that have generated different experiences between us...

He announced at our club 2 years ago that he would wholesale houses to any of our members at $2000 over cost and he still hasn't even sold one in our club.Only about 20 of our members in my local REIA are active real estate investors.

Here is a sample of the type of letter you should send: Hello, I am excited to announce the establishment of my new business, [Your Business Name] here in [Your City].

I should have an announcement soon.

Just wanted to announce today that we’ve added some enhanced capabilities to the forum signature here on BiggerPockets.We now allow agents and other professionals to show off their certifications, license numbers, and more in their forum signature.

Last week we welcomed Jon Klaus to our moderator team, and today, I'm excited to announce another new moderator, J Scott.J has been around BiggerPockets for almost 5 years, and his 7,800+ forum posts have been of as high in quality as you can find.

How long after the probate is announced in the paper do you start mailing?

I announced my presence.