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No one is cursed. You are just missing something.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
February:<br />
Mailers are highly inefficient. You can have a great list and still have to send out 4000 of them. Being new you'd probably have to send out more for a deal. You only sent out 1000. Not the best way to get started. Especially with not a lot of initial investment.<br />
<br />
March:<br />
You PAID people from CRAIGSLIST to find ugly properties?<br />
<br />
The code enforcer's office compiles every single property with a violation. These aren't just distressed, these are properties that will start receiving fines. It's FREE (or at least very cheap). I can get every condemned property in my area onto a spreadsheet with the owner's name next to it...for free...from my laptop...before breakfast.<br />
<br />
You can get access to a list of vacant properties as well for like $10 for 1-month of access (I downloaded the page onto a PDF so I can have it forever). There's 3000+ vacant homes within 20 miles of my zip code as an example. You can even filter for private owned, equity, includes phone number, time since last sale, etc.<br />
<br />
Skip tracing is not that bad, but I'm guessing you did it in a small volume. Not enough to statistically deserve a deal.<br />
<br />
April:<br />
<br />
$6,000 for a mentor? That just told you to place signs???? Books are $10. Forums are free. Buying someone lunch and asking them questions costs $30. It's good you went to meetups though. Read bigger pockets, they'll tell you a great way to waste your money is to send out mailers as a newbie.<br />
<br />
May, June, July:<br />
<br />
Signs work like cutting a lawn with scissors. But..<br />
<br />
You really hustled, tried different versions, got plenty of appointments and even got a deal under contract. Good. Unless they're taken down, the signs will keep working for you. Unfortunately you moved...<br />
<br />
Who'd you send your ringless voicemails to? That makes all the difference. That's better than mailing a list, but targeting is everything.<br />
<br />
The books, toastmasters, motivation, etc. All of that pays dividends. You'll BE better and it WILL matter in the future. But it won't get you a deal this week, this month or even this year.<br />
<br />
But hearing about your tactics? Man, it sounds like you're trying to hammer in a nail with your forehead...<br />
<br />
Wholesaling is finding needles in haystacks. That's why investors want to work with you. You are finding the needles for them. Don't jump in and start looking for the needles. Burn the haystack and then walk over it with a metal detector.<br />
<br />
It's a marketing hustle. You need creativity and efficiency for it to work.<br />
<br />
My recommendations:<br />
<br />
General advice: every morning and night for the next few days, read forums and blogs about what people are doing to kick a$$ in what you're trying to do. Print out the stuff you think you should do, keep it at your desk and use it to make a plan and put it on paper.<br />
<br />
Here's some links to stuff I found. I did the work for you.<br />
<br />
Great blog post.<br />
<a href="https://www.thewholesalerstoolbox.com/wholesalers-blog/driving-for-dollars-5-deals-in-30-days" target="_blank" class="link link--external" rel="nofollow ugc noopener">Driving For Dollars - 5 Deals in 30 Days</a><br />
<br />
(replace the driving around with going directly to the code-violation properties and knock on the doors or leave a letter, or go to the mailing address if it's somewhere else)<br />
<br />
Read the first post by Larry Higgins towards the middle of the first page (Post starts with: "The quickest most efficient way to get deals...")<br />
<a href="https://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/93/topics/498919-5k-wholesale-budget" target="_blank" class="link link--external" rel="nofollow ugc noopener">$5k Wholesale Budget</a><br />
<br />
Some great tools:<br />
<br />
List of vacant houses...<br />
<br />
vacanthousedatafeed.com (just pay the $10 1-month access, search for all vacant properties in your area, press CTRL+P and save as a PDF, take that PDF to a file converter and turn it into an excel spreadsheet)<br />
<br />
List of distressed properties...<br />
<br />
Search for your county or city clerk's office and request a list of all properties that have code violations or access it online if possible. (my county has it all online so it's convenient)<br />
<br />
Also from the county: get properties that are 2+ years delinquent on their taxes.<br />
<br />
Also easily available: find all pre-foreclosures in your area.<br />
<br />
Now you have a list of a ton of messed up situations that would likely lead to someone wanting to sell their property to a wholesaler.<br />
<br />
Combine those lists and prioritize them based on what they all have wrong. Multiple things gets top priority.<br />
<br />
Eliminate the ones that have been sold recently.<br />
<br />
Now find the owners. Get in front of their faces. Knock on their doors. If they're vacant, find the tax address and go there. If they are far away, skip trace them and call them. If they don't answer, find them on facebook. Or their wife, or their sister, or their friend. Just find them. Pick one day to do all your door knocking, calling, etc. Make a plan. Hell, put up a FSBO sign in their yard and wait for the angry phone call.<br />
<br />
extra link:<br />
It's a good read.<br />
<a href="https://flippingjunkie.com/best-direct-mail-lists-for-real-estate-investors/" target="_blank" class="link link--external" rel="nofollow ugc noopener">The Best Direct Mail Lists For Real Estate Investors</a><br />
<br />
Final word:<br />
Don't be a sucker and suck. Be a winner and win.<br />
<br />
Edit: I had some buddies who started wholesaling 3 years ago. I see them cruising around in private jets nowadays. They said they had to make 20 OFFERS to get a single deal their first month. You'll need to contact a lot of people. They said they made 100 cold calls each day.
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<blockquote data-attributes="member: 47954" data-quote="Johnny boy" data-source="post: 752195"
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No one is cursed. You are just missing something.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
February:<br />
Mailers are highly inefficient. You can have a great list and still have to send out 4000 of them. Being new you'd probably have to send out more for a deal. You only sent out 1000. Not the best way to get started. Especially with not a lot of initial investment.<br />
<br />
March:<br />
You PAID people from CRAIGSLIST to find ugly properties?<br />
<br />
The code enforcer's office compiles every single property with a violation. These aren't just distressed, these are properties that will start receiving fines. It's FREE (or at least very cheap). I can get every condemned property in my area onto a spreadsheet with the owner's name next to it...for free...from my laptop...before breakfast.<br />
<br />
You can get access to a list of vacant properties as well for like $10 for 1-month of access (I downloaded the page onto a PDF so I can have it forever). There's 3000+ vacant homes within 20 miles of my zip code as an example. You can even filter for private owned, equity, includes phone number, time since last sale, etc.<br />
<br />
Skip tracing is not that bad, but I'm guessing you did it in a small volume. Not enough to statistically deserve a deal.<br />
<br />
April:<br />
<br />
$6,000 for a mentor? That just told you to place signs???? Books are $10. Forums are free. Buying someone lunch and asking them questions costs $30. It's good you went to meetups though. Read bigger pockets, they'll tell you a great way to waste your money is to send out mailers as a newbie.<br />
<br />
May, June, July:<br />
<br />
Signs work like cutting a lawn with scissors. But..<br />
<br />
You really hustled, tried different versions, got plenty of appointments and even got a deal under contract. Good. Unless they're taken down, the signs will keep working for you. Unfortunately you moved...<br />
<br />
Who'd you send your ringless voicemails to? That makes all the difference. That's better than mailing a list, but targeting is everything.<br />
<br />
The books, toastmasters, motivation, etc. All of that pays dividends. You'll BE better and it WILL matter in the future. But it won't get you a deal this week, this month or even this year.<br />
<br />
But hearing about your tactics? Man, it sounds like you're trying to hammer in a nail with your forehead...<br />
<br />
Wholesaling is finding needles in haystacks. That's why investors want to work with you. You are finding the needles for them. Don't jump in and start looking for the needles. Burn the haystack and then walk over it with a metal detector.<br />
<br />
It's a marketing hustle. You need creativity and efficiency for it to work.<br />
<br />
My recommendations:<br />
<br />
General advice: every morning and night for the next few days, read forums and blogs about what people are doing to kick a$$ in what you're trying to do. Print out the stuff you think you should do, keep it at your desk and use it to make a plan and put it on paper.<br />
<br />
Here's some links to stuff I found. I did the work for you.<br />
<br />
Great blog post.<br />
<a href="https://www.thewholesalerstoolbox.com/wholesalers-blog/driving-for-dollars-5-deals-in-30-days" target="_blank" class="link link--external" rel="nofollow ugc noopener">Driving For Dollars - 5 Deals in 30 Days</a><br />
<br />
(replace the driving around with going directly to the code-violation properties and knock on the doors or leave a letter, or go to the mailing address if it's somewhere else)<br />
<br />
Read the first post by Larry Higgins towards the middle of the first page (Post starts with: "The quickest most efficient way to get deals...")<br />
<a href="https://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/93/topics/498919-5k-wholesale-budget" target="_blank" class="link link--external" rel="nofollow ugc noopener">$5k Wholesale Budget</a><br />
<br />
Some great tools:<br />
<br />
List of vacant houses...<br />
<br />
vacanthousedatafeed.com (just pay the $10 1-month access, search for all vacant properties in your area, press CTRL+P and save as a PDF, take that PDF to a file converter and turn it into an excel spreadsheet)<br />
<br />
List of distressed properties...<br />
<br />
Search for your county or city clerk's office and request a list of all properties that have code violations or access it online if possible. (my county has it all online so it's convenient)<br />
<br />
Also from the county: get properties that are 2+ years delinquent on their taxes.<br />
<br />
Also easily available: find all pre-foreclosures in your area.<br />
<br />
Now you have a list of a ton of messed up situations that would likely lead to someone wanting to sell their property to a wholesaler.<br />
<br />
Combine those lists and prioritize them based on what they all have wrong. Multiple things gets top priority.<br />
<br />
Eliminate the ones that have been sold recently.<br />
<br />
Now find the owners. Get in front of their faces. Knock on their doors. If they're vacant, find the tax address and go there. If they are far away, skip trace them and call them. If they don't answer, find them on facebook. Or their wife, or their sister, or their friend. Just find them. Pick one day to do all your door knocking, calling, etc. Make a plan. Hell, put up a FSBO sign in their yard and wait for the angry phone call.<br />
<br />
extra link:<br />
It's a good read.<br />
<a href="https://flippingjunkie.com/best-direct-mail-lists-for-real-estate-investors/" target="_blank" class="link link--external" rel="nofollow ugc noopener">The Best Direct Mail Lists For Real Estate Investors</a><br />
<br />
Final word:<br />
Don't be a sucker and suck. Be a winner and win.<br />
<br />
Edit: I had some buddies who started wholesaling 3 years ago. I see them cruising around in private jets nowadays. They said they had to make 20 OFFERS to get a single deal their first month. You'll need to contact a lot of people. They said they made 100 cold calls each day.<br />
<br />
2nd edit:<br />
<br />
A detailed strategy for you to execute on tomorrow:<br />
<br />
1. Sign up to the vacant house data feed tomorrow (pay $10)<br />
2. Set these parameters (zip code + 20 miles)(exclude everything besides single family residence)(exclude everything besides privately owned)(exclude over-leveraged)(year built: before 1980)(last purchase date: greater than 2 years)(equity:30% and up)<br />
3. Take the results and scroll to the bottom until they all load (it only loads 100 or so at a time)<br />
4. Press CTRL+P and save it as a PDF<br />
5. Convert it into an excel spreadsheet with some online converter<br />
6. Copy all of the phone numbers.<br />
7. Get a google voice number<br />
7. Open up a slybroadcast account and create a recording that says "Hey I saw your property and thought it might be vacant and I'd like to buy it call me back at {google voice number}"<br />
8. Buy a few hundred credits for only like 30 bucks or so and send out the voicemails to all of the vacant properties.<br />
9. Wait 1 day. Pursue any leads. If no good leads, cold call the numbers that didn't deliver. Pursue any leads. Only move on if someone says "I'm not interested" and take them off your list.<br />
10. If no leads, now your list is stripped of good numbers, it is time to reach them another way.<br />
11. The next day...Hop in your car and plan to visit 50 properties that are nearby. Plan your route on mapquest so it's efficient. Print out letters at office depot and take them with you.<br />
12. Visit the property, look at it, take a photo, leave a letter, repeat. Eliminate any properties that don't look like good wholesaling opportunities.<br />
13. The next day: take that list, find all properties with different mailing addresses, plan out a route if they are not TOO far, and knock on their doors.<br />
14. Stay in touch and build rapport with anyone who would consider selling. Set your appointments and stay busy.<br />
<br />
You might have a deal this week.
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</blockquote>Johnny boy,<br />
Wow, thanks for the great read and advice therein.<br />
<br />
I had no idea what I was doing when I was writing those letters and didn't find out until afterwards that the key to mailing is consistency and I had heard you have to hit the same list like 7 times at least. At the time I just couldn't afford it so it was in a way a waste of time and money.<br />
<br />
And yes I did pay people from Craigslist I am ashamed to admit lol. I have never tried the code enforcement list. Last month I went to the court house for pre-foreclosures but I got the run around and came home empty handed. When I go again, I will get the code violations.<br />
<br />
And yes, I did do skip tracing but the thing was I was using a service called Find The Seller, which was incredibly expensive (though highly accurate), now I am using Skip Genie which is so much cheaper and honestly about as accurate, but yes, while in March I was dialing 50 to 100 numbers a day (whether they were dead #s or people I actually talked to) I didn't dial enough to get a deal, only a couple appointments.<br />
<br />
I am also very interested in that vacant home service, and I see you have it listed below on one of your edits.<br />
<br />
As far as the mentor, it was 5 grand for 3 months of training, including access to talking to him any time on Voxer, and then $300 a month after that. For me it was totally worth it. He told me more than to just put up signs believe it or not lol, he just recommended signs for guys on a budget who are just starting out. He was always telling us about all kinds of marketing we could do and was always up to date with the newest tactics. Every week we had a coaching call which was a Facebook live, and he would bring on all kinds of successful entrepreneurs and millionaires who gave absolutely great advice. That part of the coaching alone was well worth the money. For me also, he was the first real successful millionaire I have met who actually did things like visualize, write goals, and read books everyday. He made it real for me, it was no longer something I just read out of a book, but something REAL successful human beings actually do, and for me that was a big mind shift. Also a lot of doors and opportunities were opened just by connecting with the other guys in the group.<br />
<br />
You are right on the money about books and the shit loads of free information out there. With all the information out there we could all make fortunes, but we tend to only value things we pay for which is perhaps why I have overlooked the BiggerPockets Forum. That's one thing I will do different this year because you mentioned it, I will take more advantage of the gold mine of info on there and everywhere else.<br />
<br />
By the way, thank you for digging up those posts.<br />
<br />
With the ringless voicedrop I just sent it to an absentee list I pulled from listsource. But after getting a shit load of calls from people just to tell me they DIDN'T want to sell their house, I realized it was basically cold calling in reverse, instead of me calling them and saying no, they were calling me and saying no. I pulled the plug because I was getting viable leads from my signs and way too many garbage leads from RVM and didn't want to miss the sign leads.<br />
<br />
You hit it right on the head with the books, they won't get me a deal this week, month, or year, and it often feels like that when I am reading them, but the payoff is later down the road. Same with Toastmasters, though Toastmasters does seem to be having more immediate effects and I already am hearing and seeing differences (mentor advised me to do both of these things by the way lol)<br />
<br />
I like your idea of burning down the haystack then going over it with a metal detector, that's a good way to look at it lol. I also like your simile about the hammering the nail in with my forehead, unfortunately it really feels that way. Last year really felt like a shit show, but I am going to make this year better, and more efficient. The situation overall has improved dramatically, especially now that I have a car.<br />
<br />
I will be subscribing to vacanthousedatefeed.com tomorrow, and I will read those posts. In fact, I'll start tonight since it's 230 in the morning and can't sleep for shit anyway lol.<br />
<br />
Thank you for the step by step process, I will take your advice and follow your instructions.<br />
<br />
Thank you again for the insightful read, it makes me want to refocus and keep pushing forward (lately I have lost focus and have just barely been going through the motions).<br />
<br />
You've been the biggest help to me since I have been on here, and one day I want to be able to advise people like you advised me!<br />
<br />
God bless you.</div>
