How many times should I mail the same owner?
By Josh MillerUpdated 4 min readMail each owner for as long as their list keeps selling, not a fixed number of times: expired listings sell early, so mail them tight in the first 3 months, while foreclosure owners sell across a year, so spread your letters across it. Stop mailing anyone who sold or listed, before every letter.
"Mail them seven times" is the advice everybody repeats. Seven isn't wrong for some lists and wasteful for others. The right number comes from when each list actually sells.
Each list has a window
| Since the filing | Of every 100, sold |
|---|---|
| 3 months | 2.9 |
| 6 months | 6.8 |
| 9 months | 10.2 |
| 12 months | 13.1 |
Source: GoForClose count of off-market, arm's-length deeds in county records.
Foreclosure owners sold steadily across the whole year. Expired listings did the opposite: in most counties, they were furthest ahead of a random house in the first 3 months after the listing died.
A schedule by list
- Expired listings: start the week it expires, then every 2 to 3 weeks for 3 months. After that, a lighter touch.
- Foreclosure filings: a letter early, then monthly for a year or the length of your state's process.
- Probate and inherited: wait a few weeks, then monthly for 6 to 12 months.
- Liens, taxes, vacant: standing lists with no clock. Every month or two, for as long as they stay on the list.
Your county's windows may differ. See the selling window for each list in your county.
Take out anyone who sold or listed
Every month some of your list sells to someone else or lists with an agent. A letter to an owner who sold last month is a stamp wasted and a bad look. Check before every piece, not once at the start.
Fewer owners, more times
With a fixed budget, you choose between many owners once or fewer owners several times. On a list that sells, more touches wins: the owner who calls has usually seen you several times. On a list that doesn't, no number of touches fixes it.
Questions investors ask
How many times should you send direct mail to the same person?
As many times as falls inside the window when that list sells. For a list that sells mostly in 3 months, several pieces in those 3 months. For one that sells across a year, a piece every month or so for the year.
How often should I mail motivated sellers?
Often enough to be there when they decide. For foreclosure owners, about 3 of every 100 sold off-market in the first 3 months and about 13 by month 12, so monthly across the year fits.
When should I stop mailing an owner?
When they sell, list, ask you to stop, or the list's window closes. Check for sales and listings before every letter.
Is it better to mail more owners fewer times or fewer owners more times?
Fewer owners, more times, if they're on a list that sells. Spreading one letter across a huge weak list mostly reaches people who aren't selling.