The best clients are usually more sophisticated in their understanding of building science and engineering and understand the value of what I do and don't shop me or try to beat me up for a couple hundred bucks.

Do you put yourself on payroll?

Computer software is affordable and sophisticated enough these days that applicant-supplied documents can be altered by computer - these alterations might be difficult to detect; or the applicant simply used TurboTax or similar to freshly produce something fictitious from scratch just for you.

The letter appears as though it is coming from a Government Agency or Payroll Department."

I would assume most owners are fairly sophisticated sellers and would not sell without making their desire to sell public.

IMO, only 5% of the members on this site have the experience, availability to money, knowledge and sophistication in doing these installment contracts that will win over an institutional lender.Most all are to lazy to learn, looking for guru crap and whiz-bang deals.I spent 20+ years fixing crap financing dreamed up by people who thought they knew what they were doing, still do, these folks are a real problem and much of the reason for the new laws.

This is great community of both new, experienced and well-seasoned investors.Since you are sophisticated enough to know about Melissa Data, I believe you're probably ready to invest in better info sources.One way is to seek the services of either a qualified list broker or consultant that can help you find the specialized data you want from SRDS (Standard Rate and Data Service) vendors or independent sources.Another way is to hire someone to either pull records and manually merge purge data or someone who effective at data leeching currently available online sources and manipulating the data to your specifications.Obviously, neither option is inexpensive.

It looks like some really sophisticate stuff.  

I would try two separate campaigns...1 - send letters that show you are sophisticated buyer, include a toll free # and a website and a logo.2 - send a very basic, nonthreatening, and unsophisticated letter with just your name, address and phone number.  

If a seller senses that you're being fair, that you're solving a problem for them, that you are giving advice rather than giving them a line of step by step pitches to manipulate them they will open up, the defenses will drop and they will have more confidence in the transaction.When more money is involved, you need to be more sophisticated in your presentation and approach than asking if they'd like to supersize that order.