EDDM works great for Pizza Companies and Hair Salons as everyone tend to utilize their services.

Also, find out what areas investors in that area like to invest in and start combing those neighborhoods. 

If we really want to get technical about it would you buy it if they were selling a $100,000 house for $5.That may be splitting hairs but is it any different than when they want $100,000 and it's only worth $100,000. 

I think California foreclosure is on a 21day notice, so you may wait to do pre-foreclosures until you build a pretty decent buyers list, otherwise you may be pulling your hair out trying to find buyers at the last possible moment as they always call the the second before it's too late. 

I think it's kinda splitting hairs to say one kind of helper, called a mentor, should not take a fee but another kind of helper, called a coach, should.

The carpet turned out to be an inch of dog hair from huskies that he’d owned.

A seller who is pulling their hair out can be a very motivated person, indeed, if you can tolerate the insanity.

Look for people who have specific catalysts and are pulling their hair out, preferably in big clumps.Don't show up with hair spray and brushes.

I'm new to direct mail but I do think that a >10% response even with a yellow letter to a good list is better than you should expect.For the postcards that seems just a hair low.I think for that many pieces I would have expected 10+/-3 calls so not that far off.

The other thing I would do is make sure you tell everyone you know or encounter that you're looking to buy, (family, friends, hair salon, nail salon, literally anyone you can engage in small talk).