Writing a letter

DiggerC said:

There's an old dilapidated property going back to the 50's not too from my house. With a bit of research, I've found the owner and while he lives in the same town he lives a good distance from it. I was considering, rather than dropping by to some stranger's house, to send him and his wife a letter.

Has anyone done this, and had any success?

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I would take it a step further, at the least and use whitepages.com and narrow down his phone number and call him. It's a little more personal than a letter.

Likewise, if you didn't supply a return envelope, the chances of someone writing back, and paying for postage is minimized.


I have tried that tactic, but never gotten a reply via us mail.

If you must do a letter (versus an in person "bumping into"), then be sure to sprinkle it generously with allusions to "doing research" and "history", etc... As opposed to letting it appear that you're looking for valuables (people get funky when money enters into the picture ).

So for example, if you're connected to any historical society memberships, or going to "write an article", etc.... , those type things tend to break the ice better. Also if you can "drop names" helps too. Like if you "were referred to them by their neighbor so & so @ the next door property", blah blah

But the best way is to meet in person (ie.: "catch them on their front porch", so-to-speak). Because, otherwise, with a cold-call letter from a total stranger, guess what tends to happen ? Then same thing we all do with junk-mail: We tend to throw it away. I suppose you can over-come some of that with a hand-written letter (so they know it's not generated by a mass-mailer).

I've had 2 cases where I told them I had your number but I wanted to wait till I could find you to ask in person. They both said they would have shot me down over the phone. I would assume a letter would b the same way. They get a better feel of who they are dealing with and who they will b letting on the land. They see your demeanor and how you carry yourself.

Likewise, avoid using the words:

Holes
Valuables
Silver
Gold
dig

Instead say:

Plugs
Relics like buttons or buckles
Instead of dig say "Retrieve targets"



Assure them that:

I won't touch or bother the house
I'll take out any trash or junk targets I find
I'll leave it in better shape than I found it


Good luck!

Serial Digger said:

I've had 2 cases where I told them I had your number but I wanted to wait till I could find you to ask in person. They both said they would have shot me down over the phone. I would assume a letter would b the same way. They get a better feel of who they are dealing with and who they will b letting on the land. They see your demeanor and how you carry yourself.

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Sage Advice +1