The postcard offer above recently arrived at my house.
(Click to enlarge.)
With many Plainfielders in trouble with their mortgages or home equity drawdowns, some people have been fishing in these troubled waters.
Have you received the postcard pictured above, which arrived at my house a few days ago?
It is a mass mailing, professionally done, and designed to get a response from people with property problems. Of which I am not one, which caused me to wonder more about the mailing.
Having once been in the direct mail business (anybody remember Victorian Accents?), I can spot the AIDA formula a mile away.
AIDA, a mnemonic, is mail-order-speak for: get the reader's ATTENTION, develop their INTEREST, motivate their DESIRE, and call for their ACTION on your offer.
Right away on the address side of the card the reader's attention is grabbed with 'important information about your property'. Who wouldn't turn it over and read on?
The 'message' side of the postcard. (Click to enlarge.)
The sentence at the top of the message page stirs interest by stating the offer succinctly -- buy your property...as is...for cash.
The longish paragraph expands the offer and works to stimulate your desire by 'making it easy'... 'condition not a problem' ... 'any tenants can be left in place' ... 'will pay your closing costs'. All of these are enticements to property owners who are in trouble and may not have the cash to either repair their property or close a deal.
Lastly, the call to action: 'Take a moment and listen to my message' ... 'as soon as possible' ... 'we can work something out', and the capper: 'I am very anxious to hear from you in the next couple of days'.
So much for the offer. Should a person who receives this mailing be wary?
Very.
People in trouble with their property finances often are in desperate need of finding a way out of the situation and the hope of actually coming out with some cash in hand can be well-nigh irresistible.
But the chances are very likely those who respond, if they are not sophisticated and if they do not have a lawyer or other professional help (remember, they are strapped for cash to begin with), will be taken to the cleaners -- with excessive 'fees' and 'closing costs' reducing or eliminating any possible cash benefit.
Who is Andiamo Investments? Go ahead, try and find them in the phone book.
The whole mailing itself sets off alarm bells to anyone with direct mail experience:
- It is mailed FIRST CLASS
- It is mailed from Columbus, Ohio
- The 'Auto**5-digit 07060' indicates a large mailing
- The code numbers 'BPF3752' and '05422' suggest it is a rented mailing list
- '...get a hold of you...' reminds me of the Midwestern-speak of where I grew up, not New Jersey
- '...research in the public records department downtown...' is not the way it works in Plainfield or the way we speak about it
- '...found out you did not live at the property...' is a shocker to me, since I DO LIVE AT THE PROPERTY, and indicates the sender hasn't really done any research
Moral of the story: If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
Problem is those in property trouble may not be able to calmly assess whether it is too good to be true.
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1 comments:
According to the Italian Language Honor Society member in our house, "Andiamo" means - we go - could this mean "We go away with your money????".....during these difficult times people need to remember that what sounds too good to be true probably isn't true and that there are those creeps out there who are always looking to make a buck on someone else's hard luck.
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