Lessons in Direct Mail 
For several years I've been sending post cards out to folks who purchased property in Pueblo West. Many of the lots were purchased 20-25-30 years ago. Few, if any did anything with the land, most bought it for investment purposes. But now years later the owners are getting ready to retire, some have passed, others are just re-evaluating their ownership. But sadder still is that many of these property owners are being approached to sell with offers to buy pennies on the dollar.
I have been sending post cards out periodically to mostly out of town owners offering to list and sell their property. I've had moderate success with this marketing. The sellers are getting a fair shake and I can say that my sellers have been happy with me as well.
The Unexpected Client
But it's not until you get a phone call like I did that you realize how much you impact peoples lives. I had a man call me on Christmas day wanting to sell his late mothers property. As he was going threw his mothers house he found one of my post cards. I know for a fact that this postcard he found had been sent 2 years ago or longer.
I had no idea what a ride I was about to take. At first he said I was one of two agents he had called, he wanted to create a little competition. I know the other agent, and know that both of us would do a good job. But long story short the other agent never returned the call.
After doing a little research I told the son what I thought the market value on the land would be and how long it would take to sell it. He told me he was disparate to sell and wanted it gone right away. The son set an asking price of well under the market value in order to get the selling process done and a check coming his way.
Now that the property is gone I feel like I can share the rest of my story.
The son is a homeless man. This is not something he disclosed at first, and I can understand why. But I've never had circumstance like this before. And I had no idea how hard it was for homeless people to try to get anything accomplished.
How do you mail anything to them?
How do you communicate?
Have you looked for a pay phone on the street lately?
How do you get the property proceeds to them?
How do they cash or deposit the proceeds?
My advice to any real estate professional who has the occasion to work with a homeless person. Give them easy access to you. Provide toll free phone numbers for your office and to the title company. Set up a time for them to call you every day. Even if you don't have anything either of you need to do set the time up anyway, just in case.
Special thanks to Gia and her friend!
UPDATE 3-14-08
To this day I still don't know if the proceeds check has been cashed. The check was issued in the name of the trust. My client has no bank account, no extra death certificates and no idea how to get his money.
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Dena, that must have been some experience.
I can never understand why some Realtors look so hard for business and then not return a phone call when someone wants to do business with them, it does not make sense, but I hear this all the time.