Comparing Pre-Move Mailing Lists and Pending Mailing Lists
Depending on the season, between 350,000 and 550,000 homes are listed for sale. We call those pre-movers.
At some point a buyer makes an offer to the seller and they reach an agreement. A contract is signed and the buyer makes a good faith deposit. PENDING is what we call the period of time between when the contract is signed and the purchase is finalized. In 33 states “escrow” is opened – in the remaining states this period is called “contingency”.
The period of time is usually 30-45 days. During this period the buyer will have the home examined and if there are problems the seller has to fix them or make some arrangement with the buyer. The seller is also arranging his move, and often finalizing the purchase of his next home.
A Critical Period for Marketers
It’s during this period that both of these people, the buyer who is moving in …. and the seller who is moving to a new home, finalize their mortgage and homeowners insurance. They often use this period to install home security, cable or satellite TV, water purifiers and softeners, and purchase furniture, appliances and dozens of other products and services.
During the peak summer season we generate an average of 100,000 PENDING names a week. During the winter it’s about half of that. Many marketers have found the PENDING period to be the most productive time to market their products and services. Several companies market using two or three or four trigger times … when the home is listed for sale, when it enters the pending phase, when a new home is purchased and when the actual move is made.
If you are successfully mailing new mover names or new homeowner names … now is the time for you to test these PENDING NAMES. There are several million names a year available.