In my quest to become a real estate investor I’ve come across a lot of great websites, tools and just helpful information. I have posted about each and every one of these things in the past, but I realized that it would be great to have one page that listed all this great information. Below is a breakdown of what I feel are THE BEST resources out there.
*If you feel you have a great resource and would like it listed on this page, contact me at scott@strugglinginvestor.com
—————————————————————————–
I do a lot of marketing, specifically direct mail and bandit signs. Marketing requires a lot of supplies, and over the years I have tried many different places. Some have been good and others not so much. Here is a helpful list for anyone who wants to see where I buy my materials from.
Stamps
USPS.com – United States Postal Service.
One of my pet peeves was having to go to the store every time I needed stamps. The post office has terrible hours for me because I work 9to5 and sometimes they don’t have enough stamps. Other places like the foodstore, office supply stores and a like actually have charged me more then 44 cents a stamp (not sure if that is even legal). So now I buy all my stamps online at the official USPS website. You can setup a subscription where they will automatically send you stamps on regular intervals. They charge $1 for shipping
Postcards
I just recently purchased a batch of 100 postcards from Signazon and my experience was great. The quality is amazing and I couldn’t have asked for better customer service. Nicole walked me through the process and made sure i was happy with the results.
One of my go to places because of regular deals that pop up. I’ve gotten everything from postcards to business cards from here and I’ve been pretty happy with them all. Once in a while they will offer you free business cards which are not of the best quality but I get them any way.
I like to make processes as easy as possible because of my lack of time and Click2Mail really has helped me when sending out postcards. You upload your mailing list and your postcard (using an image file or pdf) and then schedule your mailing. It’s very easy to do!
Small Local Print Shop
I’m not talking about Kinkos or Staples here, I’m talking about the mom and pop businesses. Sometimes the best deals you can get are from a local print shop in your area. Hunt some down and try them out, because if you can build a good working relationship with them you could get killer deals.
Bandit Signs
The first time I ordered bandit signs was from Dirt Cheep Signs. At the time the prices (including shipping) where the best. The signs were as advertised and the arrived very quickly. My overall experience with this company was great and I recommend them if the price works for you.
I’ve met the owner, David Alexander, and I’ve order from them before and I must say both are Top Notch! If you sign up for the newsletter, keep an eye out for specials that he runs on “mistake” signs. Great way to save some money.
Envelopes
Staples (or other office supply store)
My direct mail goes out in many different shapes and size envelopes. I like to actually go to the store and see the quality and size in person before I buy. I’ve ordered a few boxes of envelopes online before only to be dissatisfied with how thin and cheep looking the envelopes where. So I usually buy boxes of 300 at staples for about $15 each.
Amazon
Even though I do not buy my envelopes from amazon, I do buy some tools to help me seal and close the them more quickly. Here a quick few
[amazon_link id=”B0017YUIYQ” target=”_blank” locale=”US” container=”” container_class=”” ]Liquid Glue Envelope Moistener[/amazon_link]
This is my favorite tool for the job by far. The glue holds very well and it really helps me power through hundreds of envelopes very quickly. It beats soaking the envelopes with a sponge.
Envelope Moistener, Pencil Type, Sponge Tipped
Another solution is to use this little handy dandy item. It’s just a tube with a sponge tip that you fill with water and it’ll help moisten the glue on the envelopes so you don’t have to lick them.
Paper
information to come…