Motivated sellers are the best source of great deals for real estate investing. One of the easiest ways to target them is direct marketing.

This article will walk you through how to reach that all-elusive motivated seller, get his attention and close the deal.

1)Target motivated sellers

A motivated sellers is someone who is desperate to sell their house.

They must sell it to get out of a financial situation.

They could be behind in their mortgage payments, facing foreclosure, or they know they cannot afford more payments.

Motivated sellers are more than willing to negotiate below market price and leave a profit margin for you. Often the houses must be repaired before they can be sold, making them hard to sell. Such properties are best bought by real estate investors.

So the first thing you need to do is target these motivated sellers and get a targeted mailing list. The easiest way is to look for people with real estate and in legal trouble.

Such people could be going through divorce, have inherited property, have bad tenants, are making more than one mortgage payment, are facing liens, etc. You find this information from public records.

People who are trying to sell unsuccessfuly through the MLS can easily become motivated sellers. Get with a Realtor to get these types of motivated sellers.

I always target people who have owned the properties for at least 10 years, meaning they have possibly accumulated equity on their house.

2)Get a real estate investor website and phone number:

Before you start your marketing, you must get a real estate investor website and a phone number.

The real estate investor website must be able to pre-educate and pre-screen motivated sellers so that when they submit their information to you, it takes you a few minutes to tell whether it is a deal or not.

Some people will call, others will submit their information quietly from the privacy of their computer. A website will save you lots of time and effort because it talks to the motivated seller for you, and presents you with deals that are already pre-screened and pre-negotiated for you.

And it does not cost you extra for the deals it presents to you.

When you have to talk to someone, you can waste 10 minutes only to find out it is a no deal. This can wear you out pretty fast.

A good real estate investor website is recommended at the end of this article.

3)Send out your mail pieces

Postcards are my best methods of reaching motivated sellers. I get them from overnightprints.com. The key is a postcard that commands instant attention and delivers your message direct and brutal. I like the We Buy Houses, Get Cash For Your House, etc.

You only have 10 seconds to deliver this message or it goes to trash.

The cards I design are brightly colored and glossy so they cannot miss them.

Make sure you provide a prominent web address so they go to your website instead of the phone. Do not forget to put a phone number!

I usually send 2 post cards 30 days apart.

Probate leads get a series of personal, monthly letters for 6 months.

4)Close the deals

Next step is to follow up through closing if it is a deal.

Simon Macharia is a real estate investor buying and selling houses in Dallas, Texas. Learn how an interactive real estate investor website can help you automate your real estate investing while pre-screening and pre-negotiating with motivated sellers for you. Visit http://www.realestateinvestorswebsites.net for more information.