subject: How To Target Motivated Sellers By Direct Marketing [print this page] How To Target Motivated Sellers By Direct Marketing
One of the most effective methods to find great deals for real estate investing is to target motivated sellers by direct mail.
This article shows you how to reach that willing motivated seller, get their attention and seal the deal.
1) Target motivated sellers
A motivated sellers is someone who is desperate to sell their house.
They must sell it to get out of a financial situation.
Maybe they are behind in mortgage payments, in foreclosure, or facing this possibility real soon.
Motivated sellers are easy to negotiate with and have no problem taking a deep discount to sell fast. Sometimes the houses need repair making it hard to sell. Such properties are best bought by real estate investors.
First, get a targeted mailing list of motivated sellers. The best way is target people in legal trouble and they own houses.
Such people could be going through divorce, have inherited property, have bad tenants, are making more than one mortgage payment, are facing liens, etc. You find this information from public records.
People who are unable to sell their house through the MLS could be motivated sellers. Get with a Realtor to get these types of motivated sellers.
I always target people who have owned the properties for at least 10 years, meaning they have possibly accumulated equity on their house.
2) Get a real estate investor website and phone number:
Before you start your marketing, you must get a real estate investor website and a phone number.
The real estate investor website must be able to pre-educate and pre-screen motivated sellers so that when they submit their information to you, it takes you a few minutes to tell whether it is a deal or not.
Some people will call, others will submit their information quietly from the privacy of their computer. A website will save you lots of time and effort because it talks to the motivated seller for you, and presents you with deals that are already pre-screened and pre-negotiated for you.
And it does not cost you extra for the deals it presents to you.
When someone calls instead, chances are you may have to talk to them for 10 minutes only to find out the deal cannot work. This gets tiresome very quickly.
A good real estate investor website is suggested at the end of this article.
3) Send out your mail pieces
My most preferred method of reaching motivated sellers is post cards. I design my post cards from overnightprints.com. The postcard must instantly capture their attention and deliver a brutal, direct message. I like the We Buy Houses, Get Cash For Your House, etc.
You only have 10 seconds to deliver this message or it goes to trash.
I design my cards so they are brightly colored and glossy so they are impossible to miss from the pile of mail they receive.
Make sure your web address is prominent so you send them to your website instead of the phone. You must also provide a phone number.
I usually send 2 post cards 30 days apart.
Probate leads get a series of personal, monthly letters for 6 months.
4) Close the deals
Once they call or submit information from your real estate investor website, determine if it is a deal or not, then follow up with the good deals through closing.
