I'm trying to figure out the best way to reach out and help the Pre-Foreclosure/Notice of Default Homeowners. In my direct mail, I get quite a few return mails . . . even weeks after the first postcards are sent. I ran across this article, but I'm curious what has worked for anyone of you. What type of direct mail do you use and wording; How often and how many times do you mail to them; Do you hunt them down; and do any of you actually go to the neighbors and call on their family?

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> You Must Call Neighbors First
> by Alexis McGee
>
>
> Editors Note: This is an important update to my June 2004 column "How to Get
> the Gossip."
>
> It concerns me that too many of my students think calling neighbors and
> relatives are a waste of their time. They try to short cut my proven system
> by only seeking owner phone numbers and calling owners first. Then they
> email me with their questions...
>
> "Alexis, I'm having problems getting good phone numbers. Do you pay for
> owner's phone numbers? What other sites are out there to use for finding
> good phone numbers?"
>
> Ugh! Let's go back to square one. I DO NOT CALL OWNERS UNTIL I'VE EXHAUSTED
> MY NEIGHBOR AND RELATIVE CALLS FIRST. (I hope you don't mind my yelling
> here.)
>
> Why do I call neighbors and relatives first?
>
> Because they are my eyes and ears to my owner in default. They know what's
> going on in his/her life better than anyone else. They know when he's home.
> They know his personal problems (wife left him and took the kids, he's home
> all the time, recently out of work, etc.). They know if the house is vacant
> and possible where they moved.
>
> THEY KNOW WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW TO MAKE YOUR CALL TO THE OWNER MUCH MORE
> PRODUCTIVE. (Us New Yorkers do yell a lot, sorry.)
>
> And, a good neighbor will take a note (with your name and phone #) over to
> the owners' house and leave it on their door for you. Then when the owner
> comes home, they see your note and HAVE TO CALL. I mean, if you drove up and
> saw a note on your door from your neighbor to call someone, wouldn't you
> call them? Wouldn't you wonder what it was about and have to find out?
>
> And wouldn't your call backs be SO MUCH HIGHER then simply calling the
> owners house and hearing voicemail. Try leaving messages to owners in
> default. Their phone # is either disconnected or they simply do not return
> your call. If you were in financial trouble and every bill collector was
> calling you, wouldn't you hide? But if your neighbor left you a note, you've
> got to return that call. Otherwise, that neighbor will come back again with
> another note, won't he? :)
>
> Sometimes if the owner is home, when the neighbor brings the note over, the
> neighbor will hand over their handheld phone right to the owner! Voila –
> you've got the owner on the phone! No more hiding! And if you're REALLY GOOD
> (like my clients HERE), if the owner is not home, the neighbor will call you
> back when he sees the owner return home, so you can hop in your car and know
> you will reach the owner.
>
> So, rather than search for owners phone numbers – I want you to go back to
> the basics. Lookup neighbors and relatives first. (If you forgot how to do
> this, please GO HERE.)
>
> Ask questions. Be curious. Do NOT tell them why you are calling. (The owner
> will not be happy if you "squealed on him".) Be brief and stay in control,
> digging for the dirt. You'll be shocked at what "stay at home", "home
> schooling" moms and retired folks will tell you when you call. (I hate to
> say it, but ladies DO love to gossip!)
>
> So STOP making your job so hard. Call owners AFTER you have the gossip. Your
> conversations will improve ten fold. Your first impression will be "spot
> on". And you will start making friends MUCH QUICKER than you would by simply
> "cold calling owners" first.
>
> After 20 years of investing and 15 years of successfully training others, I
> know FIRST HAND what I say really works. You can read my full bio HERE. You
> are sealing your fate of failure if you skip this critical step!
>
> Here are some questions you can ask their neighbors:
>
> "Hi, I was hoping you could help me... I am trying to get in touch with your
> neighbor (name) ... He seems to be hard to reach... Can you help me? How
> long have you lived there? Etc... "
>
> The same is true when calling possible relatives. When you are done looking
> for your owner in the white page directories, you will have a list of
> persons with the same last name who may be related to your owner. So now,
> let's find out who's who!
>
> Here are some questions you can ask possible relatives:
>
> "Hi, I was hoping you could help me... I am trying to get in touch with
> (full name) ... I wasn't sure if you were related to him... He seems to be
> hard to reach... Can you help me? How long have you known him? Etc..."
>
> In both cases, you need to be CURIOUS (some call it "nosey") and expect them
> to fill in the blanks for you. The key here is to ask "open ended" questions
> (starting with who, what, where, when, why, how) and see where they take
> you. Some folks won't help you at all. Others will tell you the owners' life
> story. A chance to get the latter is why you are making these calls!
>
> The nuances of exactly "what to say" and "how to say it" to neighbors and
> relatives is impossible – to explain in writing. That is why I have my
> home-study audio (Six Steps to Mastering Foreclosures 2007 Edition) and live
> 3 Day Lab learning program.
>
> When you come to my office for 3 days for my Lab, you bring your own leads
> with you (as taught to you in the home-study course) and apply this
> technique LIVE with my hands on tutoring, first, before you call the owners.
> It's the real thing. Except this time you are not working in a vacuum (at
> your home). You are working side by side with Me, my Protégé Coaches and
> thirteen other investors, actually doing it RIGHT! :)
>
> I know you will have wished you'd come sooner. (You can checkout my Lab
> calendar HERE. Do not be surprised to see I am sold out 6+ weeks in advance.
> I have stayed full since I created this program over eight years ago.
> There's a reason for this. It works!
>
> Until next month... Happy Investing!
>
> Alexis
>
>