Direct mail is not dead — lazy direct mail is. A generic postcard to a random list gets thrown away. A plain, sincere letter to the right owner gets a callback.
The list matters more than the letter
Start with owners who have a reason: absentee owners, long-time holders, tax-delinquent, inherited property. A smaller, sharper list beats a huge cold one every time.
Keep the message plain
- Write like a person, not a billboard. A short, hand-signed-looking letter outperforms a glossy postcard for distressed owners.
- Say what you do in one line, and make the next step easy: a phone number they can actually call.
- Do not promise a number you have not earned.
Mail more than once
Most replies come from the second, third, or fourth touch — not the first. Plan a sequence, not a single mailer, and track who you have contacted so nobody falls through.