I learned most by researching and putting in the time.I told her that we could have used that $25K+ she spent on this to buy an actual business license (she only had a county business license), by our materials (direct mail, bandit signs, etc), pay for some online sites for foreclosures and listings, and still had money left over to get started on our first deal.

@Carson Sweezy, how did the mailings go?

I looked at a mailing list generated for 2 of the zip codes there and was surprised how many homes are owned outright or have been owned by the same person for many years.  

I'm just getting ready to start doing some direct mail in the Nashville TN area, and I'm unsure of how to analyze a sub-market to determine if it would be a good candidate for wholesaling?

Anybody got any creative solutions for finding properties off the MLS other than direct mail or SEO for your website?? 

Listsource is going to be your best bet for finding a good list to target for direct mail.

Good reminder.

Once they miss a payment or two, they will get door knocked and mailed to death by everyone that has a "solution" to their problem.   

Recently one of my yellow letters came back in the mail because forwarding ended for this person.

Something to check out.I'm a huge fan of direct mail and using the USPS's Every Door Direct Mail (EDDM).