Hi everyone, first off I wanted to say what a great forum this is. I’ve been reading for a while before registering, just to try and learn from all of you here.
I need to see if you guys can please help me out in some suggestions on what to include in a mailing to absentee owners. Should I do a postcard or a letter?
What should I write in it? Any ideas on what’s worked out for you guys? Thanks!!!
To get my list, I went into my assessors site and just gathered all the absentees I could find in a given area, and mailed to them. Its time consuming but I didn’t have anything else to do with my time since I had no sellers (this was the first thing I ever did.)
In the letter I wrote that I was looking to buy property in the area, and if they needed to sell fast and get quick solutions to call me.
Note that you will get a different response and response rate depending on whether you say “I am looking to buy houses in your area” or “I want to buy your house.” With the latter you get many more FSBOs and people wanting full cash offers, and thus a higher response rate.
The first time I did it I sent out 100 and I got 40 calls. I think its because no one else in the area does it. Several people said they had never seen anything like it before.
You asked postcard or letter. Try both, do a letter one week and a few weeks later a postcard or vice versa. This reminds me, I have to remail a few people that haven’t responded to me. I really have to setup reminders on my PC to remind me a few weeks later.
Oops, I missed your postcard vs. latter part.
I agree with Rich, try both and see what works.
However I will say this, and remember it well.
A postcard is not very personal at all. They have no reason to even pick it up and look at it, since postcards are almost always junk mail these days.
HANDWRITTEN envelopes are almost gaurunteed to get opened. I always do this and probably accounts for my high response rates. Make it look like something from Grandma. And use regular postage stamps!
Cost wise, with the USPS site postcards ARE a bit cheaper and quicker and easier to do though.
Thanks. I am really hoping I get a decent response rate. And I’ll definitely try the handwritten approach. Hope I don’t get fingercramps… LOL
I handwrite envelopes because my printer tends to do weird things to envelopes and leaves a little extra toner on one side. If your printer works well you can also use a font that looks like handwriting on your envelopes or even on the letter itself. If you are mailing dozens of people this will save you some serious time and writers cramp. Be sure your font looks like real handwriting, not like a computer did it. Also be sure your printer doesn’t do things like mine that would be a tip off that it was computer generated. If you want you can also have someone make a font that matches your own handwriting but I think this is overboard unless you really like your own handwriting, I don’t as I write to sloppy. People also use greeting cards though I don’t know what they say inside, probably just like your postcard would say but the greeting card tends to get opened more often.
You can always pay someone to do it too. Put an ad in Craigslist or the paper saying “work from home adressing envelopes” and you will get a lot of stay at home moms and college kids calling you. IF you do this, give them a list and the envelopes and send them off. If you want also give them the letter to stuff the envelope too. If you do this, either dont have them seal them, or randomly pick out one and open it when you meet them to check. You can pay them like 10-12 cents an envelope. If they are hauling tail they could make 7 an hour.
Note also that if you are aiming towards the “I want to buy YOUR house” you can do the same thing with the letters too. Have someone hand copy the text of the letter onto yellow line rule, then go to kinkos or whatever and get it copied. You leave the Dear ____ blank, and have htem fill those out with names as you go along. In the end you have a handwritten letter that looks written for them.
DO NOT try and handrwite 100 letters. When I first started I was in school away from my target area and had NOTHING I could do, so I attempted it and got about 5 in before you couldnt read my handwriting and my hand hurt. In hindsight it was just a waste of time and paper. Silly me 
Edit: DONT give them the postage ever!!! That is your biggest expense and if you give them $100 in postage they have more incentive to never talk to you again!
Are you sure it is greeting cards or their envelopes? I know some people instead of #10 or whatever white envelopes, go to card places and get leftover envelopes and whatnot VERY cheap. Even MORE likely to get opened.
I honestly dont see how a greeting card itself could be used. And I would be afraid the people would feel tricked and used if there was a psotcard with the typical copy on it inside a greeting card envelope. Maybe not.
Ah that is definitely interesting. Ill have to read up on that.
He is using them to sell notes though, but I bet it could be transferred to what we are doing.
Thanks for the link