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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to put notes through their doors?

32 replies

Instagrrr · 21/07/2019 21:08

So we have a house deposit and MIP ready, we are in rented current and looking to buy in the local area hopefully before Christmas.

We’ve been looking at a specific area of roughy 16 houses which we know are within budget and will have the right space etc for our needs. They never come on the market, one has sold within the last 5 years and another went on and had no interest (priced too high) and was taken off the market with no purchase.

I’ve heard about approaching homeowners with a note saying about your circumstances to see if you can tempt them to sell?

Would you do this? It feels like it would be the proactive thing to do, we are eager to move but the market is slow in this particular area.

If you would, would you hand write? Explain circumstances, like how long we’ve been in the area, kids at local school, quick sale?

Other option would be to put a note in the village shop but it wouldn’t focus on the area we are looking at?

Wwyd? Flowers

OP posts:
TheTrollFairy · 21/07/2019 21:13

Someone did similar to my MIL. She ended up selling to the person too so it does happen although MIL was considering moving at some point so you would have to get someone in similar circumstances

Orangeballon · 21/07/2019 21:15

There would be nothing to lose in this action and maybe some one will be thinking of selling. It has been done before so it is not unusual.

Watto1 · 21/07/2019 21:17

It certainly wouldn’t do any harm. I’d be quite flattered to get a letter from someone wanting to buy my house! The worst they could do would be to chuck your letter straight into the recycling.

Original poster
Instagrrr · 21/07/2019 21:21

Phew! I thought people might think it was rude Grin

Would you hand write a letter? Or would printed be OK?

OP posts:
PineappleSeahorse · 21/07/2019 21:22

It'd annoy me and it'd go straight in the bin but it might work for you.

Whoops75 · 21/07/2019 21:25

A friend bought his house from a lady he used to meet on the bus.

Go for it.

Keep details to a minimum to protect your privacy. Create a new email address and tell them you’ll answer any questions.

Good luck

TheTrollFairy · 21/07/2019 21:26

I would hand write it but that’s mainly because if I got a printed letter I would think it was a wind up and throw it away

Hmmmwhatwouldyoudo · 21/07/2019 21:26

I did this! I noticed that a house of the style I wanted in the right location had been on the market the year before but hadn’t sold and wasn’t on the market currently. So I wrote a note saying if they were still looking to move, I was interested. They were! We agreed a price, taking no estate agent fees into account, and I moved in about 6 weeks later. In fact they downsized and bought the house right next door. As I had no chain and was living at my mums, I even had a week of an empty house to redecorate some of the rooms. Of the three house purchases I have done, it was by far the most stress free!
Go for it! It might be the prompt a family needs to sell.

blaaake · 21/07/2019 21:27

It was how I bought my first house over 20 years ago! I'd say go for it - would definitely do it handwritten though

tealandteal · 21/07/2019 21:28

This is definitely a thing, we have received these letters however if they haven't sold within 5 years how do you know they are within budget? YWNBU to try but bare in mind the seller has no real motivation to move so will potentially price higher.

Monty27 · 21/07/2019 21:30

Its not unknown and good luck.

WantLifeToBeBetter · 21/07/2019 21:30

I know someone who did this and it worked so I'd say do it.

Playing devil's advocate though: if none have sold recently how do you know how much they're worth?

Original poster
Instagrrr · 21/07/2019 21:36

One has sold recently which was within budget, and the one that didn’t sell due to being overpriced was also within budget too. I know someone who lives in one who’s recently had hers valued so we have a kind of estimate. We’d obviously get it officially valued before committing to anything

OP posts:
DontCallMeShitley · 21/07/2019 21:44

We have had a few of those letters, they are always printed and kept to the point, no waffling. Also signed off with just first names. At the time we didn't want to sell, so am now hoping for some more to appear as I would like to move.

So, go for it but don't make it too wordy. Set up an e.mail address specially for it.

Owlbert · 21/07/2019 21:45

You have nothing to lose-go for it!

Skittlesandbeer · 21/07/2019 21:48

Don’t see why you couldn’t also put a small notice up on several community noticeboards. Just outline the criteria, including geographic area. Set up a seperate email as contact, and send a template response to anyone who replies but is out of your zone.

MagicKingdomDizzy · 21/07/2019 21:55

I sold my house to a lady who knocked on my door and asked to buy it.

We had removed the estate agents board as they were messing us around, and she had noticed it was gone, so knocked to ask if we were still interested in selling.

No estate agent fees and a very easy sale.

Go for it!

alittlerayofsunshine · 21/07/2019 22:03

Yep do it. I have seen it done a few times, NO-ONE minds, and you may get what you want (and save someone some estate agent fees!)

A friend of mine gets this sometimes. She has a perfect, beautiful little bungalow - quite big, detached, 2 bed, with a huge side garden, and elevated about 8 feet higher than the road, with a 30 foot long front drive. It was built in the 1970s as part of a private estate (in a big crescent of 28 bungalows and 28 houses... you can drive in at either end.)

Her bungalow (No 1,) has the best aspect in the whole half moon 'crescent' of 56 properties... Not overlooked, private, gorgeous. It is in a village of around 180 properties and less than 500 people. But only 30-35 minutes walk (7-10 mins drive) from the local market town 3 and a half miles away. It's 3.5 miles by road, but 2 miles if you take the shortcut down the riverside pathway

Only it is rented. It belongs to the council. They bought the whole crescent when they were built. The builders went under, two-thirds of the way through building the 56 homes,, and the council finished it all off and took it into their housing stock. 56 houses and bungalows. All got big front gardens, and big back gardens, and driveways, and garages.

Most of them have been bought on RTB, but 7 of them are still rented, including my friend's. And she has had A4 printed sheets pop through the letterbox around 5 or 6 times over the years, as the crescent is so sought after.

Good luck @Instagrrr

alittlerayofsunshine · 21/07/2019 22:04

Sorry, mean to say, maybe quickly research who owns and who rents, so you don't waste your time/paper/ink. GOOD LUCK!

ComeTheFuck0nBridget · 22/07/2019 07:07

Go for it! I've had a couple of those types of letters before and although we are not looking to sell (only bought 2 years ago in fact) I don't see anything wrong with it, quite flattering in fact.

BeanBag7 · 22/07/2019 08:06

It's definitely worth a try. Worst case scenario, they throw it in the bin, so there isn't really a downside. You never know your luck! Someone might have been thinking of putting the house on the market soon anyway.

PhillipeFellope · 22/07/2019 08:13

We got our house because our now NDD was working on my DPs house and us moving came up in conversation.

It's a sought after area and houses that come up are usually fine within 24-48 hours and are overpriced at that.

We've had a few "if you'd like to sell your house, please contact" letters from estate agents since we've been in. Go for it, you've nothing to lose.

zingally · 22/07/2019 08:30

It can't hurt, I guess. And the worst that can happen is that you're ignored.

It happens in my area that estate agents put notes through the door that they are looking for properties in my area... I rent though, so the place isn't mine to sell. So they go straight in the bin.

Meangirls36 · 22/07/2019 10:15

I get them all the time can't sell tho and it's a dump.

Oysterbabe · 22/07/2019 10:25

My BIL and his wife did this, wrote quite a sweet little note about how they were newly weds looking for a home to start a family in and then put it through the door of the streets they were interested in. It worked and they were contacted by a couple in the process of getting divorced.

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