Rented list: From a mailing service or list broker with a variety of “selects,” which refer to your specific list design (zip code, age of home, etc, are all selects). As you’d guess, the more “selects,” the greater the cost per thousand. Try single-family residences, $250,000-plus, over seven years old, within a geographic region. Remember, as the list gets smaller (per select), you save postage and get a better list. Postage is generally the number-one expense.

Geographic list: Also a rented list, but within an area, usually defined by radius to a point or zip code. Cheap, plentiful, but dangerously wasteful in their simplicity unless you’ve got a good reason to stay within a geographic area. (Such as a mass tune-up campaign, open house, etc.) If you want to “own” a neighborhood, this is the list to buy or rent.