I’ve done several short sales, but I’ve got to tell you, there has to be a better way! In Richmond, VA, the real estate market is still fairly good, so lenders aren’t willing to discount very much.
Sunday newspaper ads are OK, but I’m there with 15 others!
Any ideas from your experiences???
Thanks in advance!
TB
it is all about advertising
First, short sales are overrated. Second, same with classified ads. I think its going to depend on your marketing budget, but it definitely all comes down to marketing. I get my best results with TV. Others get great results with bandit signs. A mixture of all of the above plus mailings and a few other things is the best. Again, depends on the budget though.
I’d love to see your tv ad lucky. Not sure if the rules allow it here but can you send me a link on a pm?
The key to marketing is realizing there is no magic source that will meet all your needs. I would suggets a mixture of all below.
1 Bandit signs
2 Building relationships with realtors in your area
3 Building relationships with wholesalers in your area
4 Joining REI clubs for networking
5 Picking a few neighborhoods you want to invest in and introducing yourself to homeowners and letting them know you are in the market for deals
6 Establishing relationships with local bird-dogs that can bring deals to you
If you focus on these techniques for two to three months you will be very pleasantly suprised at how many leads will start comming your way.
Lots of excellent suggestions so far and I would like to add another…
Set aside a little time every week to cruise one of your target neighborhoods.
Look for homes with signs of neglect such as unkept yards, peeling or faded paint, roofs with curling shingles, broken fences, cracked windows etc.
These things could indicate an owner who is in finacial trouble or a landlord who is unwilling or unable to keep up his rental properties.
I wrote a book about advertising… I could only come up with 101 methods to advertsie successfully… It doesnt matter if you have money for stamps or not there are ways of getting your message out so people will beg you to buy their house.
Here is the deal… You can either talk about being an Investor or you can do something about it and become one…
The choice is simple… Turn the switch on and become the riches person you know…
Good Luck
Michael
Sending out post cards had the best return for me. Internet marketing also worked good, but it is not as predictable because it is a shotgun approach and you never know who will see it.
Finding deals is probably the hardest part of the business. But once you figure it out, you’ll be fine.
fadi,
Who is your direct marketing target and how do you cultivate your lists?
Thanks,
Mike
To give credit where credit is due, I learned who to target from Michael and $Cash$.
The list source depends on who I want to mail to, but my current first choice is to mail to people in certain geography (zip code) who lived in their home 2 to 5 years. This of course will vary based on where you live, and the appreciation/depreciation of your market. Personally, I usually send 3,000+ post cards a month to get a deal or two. I get many calls but most of them do not have enough equity to buy due to them buying with zero down at the time.
Results were strongly associated with the content of my post cards. Some post cards generated zero calls, others generated great results. It is all about testing to see what works for you. I found putting a sales letter on a post card works excellent for me in my market where general bullet points with I Buy Houses did not pull as good of results. Please note though, others noticed the opposite. Latest post card I have contains 2 page long sales letter with testimonies on a 6x9 post card, but have not mailed it yet since I am not buying yet. I am betting however, if it reach the right person, they will call and they will sell.
I usually go to melissadata.com, usadata.com, infousa.com and see who has the cheapest list and I buy it from them. Never mail under 500 pieces in this type of marketing since the odds of reaching motivated seller are lower than focusing on FSBOs, and Expireds (these two types already trying to sell so odds of getting calls are higher).
But again, it all depends on your Unique Selling Proposition, your closing skills, and what you say in your marketing material/post cards/letters…etc.