I want to generate leads to start targeted direct mailings to homeowners that have been in their properties for some time now or landlords (comparing mailing address w/ property address). I wanted to use 1st American Real Estate Solutions, however, they won’t allow you full access for the trial period and I am not sure I want to spend $250 a month for a full year on something that I may not like. I am in Cook County, Illinois and most of the information is online that 1st American provides with the test version. The real marketing part of it isn’t available unless you sign up for a year. What are the other methods to generate leads for targeted direct mailings? Is there any cheaper R/E lead generation software?
Thanks,
Ericka
I personally do not like FirstAm’s services. I work for a title settlement company for HSBC and we USED to use FirstAM. We quickly found out the info was outdated, straight out wrong, and the system was inconsistent. Needless to say HSBC cancelled the service. I would NOT reccomend you sign up for the year.
ErickaD,
If you want to start generating leads immediately without paying $250/month, try www.webuyandsellhomes.net and click on the “affiliate program”. They are based in North Carolina, but market nationwide and get TONS (did I say TONS???) of leads in every state. I live in Georgia and get roughly 40-50 leads per month from it.
It’s $50 (approx) per month and you’ll get leads in your email immediately. Something to note: you will get all the leads for your state. and while most will be junk, there’s a gem or two in there that will pay for the website for years to come.
I’ve gotten my last 3 homes from that site. Keep in mind that everyone that signs up will get the same leads, so early bird gets the worm! I don’t get anything from them for recommending them. I just really enjoy their stuff. And that will at least get you started until you figure out what to do with 1st Am. I use them for comps but that’s about it.
As an aside, if you don’t want to pay the monthly with RealQuest, go to your courthouse (or pay someone to do it for you - per address) for out of state owners or landlords. You can also use usadata.com or melissadata.com to find homeowners by specific zip codes (if you want) who have owned their home for x amount of years. They are relatively cheap and you can get your list online without having to phone in for anything.
For more targeted mailings, check with a Realtor friend and get a list of expired listings. These are folks who have tried to sell their homes and for one reason or another the listing expired. You may have to work a little bit harder to get the list, but it’s a great source of leads for cheap.
Hope this helps!
Big Cheese