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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

“If you are ever in the market we would be interested in your house”

247 replies

Foodfoodfoodie · 20/01/2022 21:48

We live in a desirable village in an expensive area. Today we had a letter through our door, summarised it read something like:

we are looking to move in the area and have flagged your home as one we would be interested in of you were in the market to move. If you consider selling in the near future we would love to hear from you and would be willing to negotiate a price around the X mark, which we believe to be higher than the asking price you would be recommended by an agent

AIBU to think this is really cheeky and intrusive? They are being very upfront about essentially eyeing up my home.

I’m not in the market to move but if I was they would be bottom of the list, regardless of money.

OP posts:

Allsorts1 · 21/01/2022 08:40

@WeBuiltThisBuffetOnSausageRoll these are all really excellent points. My own parents will leave their phones untouched until I come over if any notifications pop up as they don’t know what to do, and if they get emails that are (clearly scams) they save them up for me to go through them and confirm if they need to take action or not - they’re not even infirm just not digital natives and are cautious! You’re completely right that a letter like that worded in that way or even in a worse way would really stress them out.

If one does adopt this method, I think important to be very brief and positive and not have any pressuring undertones.

Something just like:

“Dear homeowner,

We are interested in buying a home in this area and love yours. If you were considering selling soon we would be happy to come to a private arrangement on the sale to save us both estate agent fees and hassle. Please disregard this letter if you are not looking to sell your home.

Best regards,”

hangrylady · 21/01/2022 08:57

YABU. It's very common and I know a few people who have had success with this. If you were thinking of selling why would you not contact them directly and save yourself the agency fees? Talk about cutting off your nose to spite your face

nitsandwormsdodger · 21/01/2022 09:00

I’d be super flattered if someone was eyeing up my home as they desired it

I had a architect come round to give a quote and they had all the plans if my house from what’s available online I was really impressed

Think you are being a bit weird and precious I’ve put a note and offered more money to a house I really loved

11inch · 21/01/2022 09:40

I wonder if English wasn't their first language, the use of business terminology doesn't really work when dealing with private individuals.

user33323 · 21/01/2022 09:49

It isn't at all uncommon. It is a well known tactic and my parents had letters like this when I was a child 30 years ago. I have known people who have had these letters and decided to sell because of it, all had been thinking about it but we're dragging their feet about getting the house sale ready because they weren't sure what the market was like. It saves a lot on marketing fees for the seller. Sometimes people do it for particular homes they grew up in, but more often it's those house hunting in an area where houses sell almost immediately upon getting on the market. You only have to put a street name on Zoopla to know how many rooms and bathrooms are in each house, it's hardly stalker like behaviour. Most people take these letters as a compliment, your reaction is extreme.

RoseSays · 21/01/2022 09:50

I did this when I got divorced and wanted to stay in the area. As I was so familiar with the area and knew exactly what I was looking for I wrote to a handful of houses.
It saves the seller estate agent fees.

RoseSays · 21/01/2022 10:00

It's not just 'large desirable' houses who get this - a younger relative of mine is buying a shoe box one bed flat in a grotty area of London and they got it by knocking on the door of a flat when they were in the building visiting friends.
A home to call your own is desirable - it doesn't have to be a mansion!

GreenFingersWouldBeHandy · 21/01/2022 10:01

It's a really common practice and I think you're being far too precious about it. Take it as a compliment FGS!

shouldistop · 21/01/2022 10:07

I got a similar letter through recently. I've had a few over the years. Doesn't bother me. I take it as a compliment.

lastqueenofscotland · 21/01/2022 10:25

I see it recommended on here all the time but I agree I absolutely hate it. If I want to sell I’ll list it with an agent and you can go down the normal route!!!

LampLighter414 · 21/01/2022 10:36

Don't ask don't get.

Some of the 'naice' villages around here are lucky to have a couple of house sales a year (out of say 200 total)

NotBloodyMrTumbleAgain · 21/01/2022 10:45

Apparently this is pretty common but the first time I heard of it was on MN, when someone was advising a poster who was struggling to find somewhere to buy, to put notes through doors. My first thought was that it's a bit odd and intrusive, and that I would never do this.
It seems so pushy.
I don't blame you for feeling weird about it OP. It's the tone of the note...very pushy and presumptuous. It would get my back up, and I'm not pregnant and hormonal 🤷‍♀️
But the general consensus seems to be that it's normal, maybe we're the ones BU.

AmazingBouncingFerret · 21/01/2022 11:05

Used to get them at my old house (bog standard semi, quiet road with no through traffic and in catchment area for outstanding infants and juniors)
Don’t so much at my new place but not many people know it’s here so we usually just get the estate agent ones that are handed out every 6 months or so to everyone in the village. It never occurred to me to be annoyed by them.

BlissfullyIgnorant · 21/01/2022 11:44

I sold a house to someone who shoved a note through the door. That was pre-internet so they didn't have much info other than how it looked from outside. I got an EA valuation and scanned the papers (because that's how we did things in the olden days) to work out how much to ask. A couple of phone calls and a bit of negotiation between us and I got more than I would have by using an agent. Plus, the place was a bit of a state as some renovations were unfinished.
Have a look on Zoopla for estimated valuations. See what info your house has online, and if you want to sell, get a good conveyancing solicitor. You don't need an estate agent

FinallySomeNormality · 21/01/2022 12:04

Not at all weird IME.

I have genuinely had 2 letters like that just in the past few weeks! I take it as a compliment. I think people are looking to move now, probs having saved a little during the pandemic (if lucky enough to wfh etc) and so the market is really busy atm and new desirable homes are going super fast.

2me2u2u2me · 21/01/2022 12:08

I got my dream house this way last year. I would not be offended if someone did this to me even if I wasn't in the market for selling.

2me2u2u2me · 21/01/2022 12:09

Also, a friend of mine was on LLL recently and she told me that's exactly how Phil and Kirsty get the houses for their programmed before they go on the market.

drinkingwineoutofamug · 21/01/2022 12:16

Had this myself. A letter posted to the home owner.
Offering to buy our house if we were interested in selling.
My mum looked for them on Facebook. They were property developers. Their Facebook page full of look of this dump we have bought and now will sell for loads more money.
I was a bit pissed as my house is not a dump! Yes may need a new roof in the next year.
Put the letter in the bin and never replied.

AlanThePig · 21/01/2022 12:16

Bought our current house via Facebook messenger after tracking down the owner.
You do what you need to do in current climes.

notanothertakeaway · 21/01/2022 12:50

"We like your street and your house looks nice from outside" is fine

"We've looked up your floorplan from previous sales and like the curtains" is a bit stalkerish. I'd do that, but wouldn't admit to it

DoTheMerengue · 21/01/2022 12:53

I’m not sure it’s stalkerish really. I looked up a previous sale of our neighbours property to confirm, as I suspected, that they had a spiral staircase. Obviously didn’t tell them I’d done it.

WeBuiltThisBuffetOnSausageRoll · 21/01/2022 15:10

I see it recommended on here all the time but I agree I absolutely hate it. If I want to sell I’ll list it with an agent and you can go down the normal route!!!

Yes, same here. As for avoiding EA fees (and also conveniently avoiding being flagged to the buyer should you be 'known' to the local EAs), I can maybe see if it's a 1m+ house - but when you're talking a thousand or two (or three) in the big picture of buying/selling a whole house?

Especially when it's the seller who pays the EA anyway - are the note-posters hoping to benefit themselves from the no-EA discount, acting altruistically so that the buyer benefits, or planning to go halves?

When we recently sold a house, the EA we sold through had a quiet word with us about a very keen buyer, who they knew very well was a chancer, nightmare, liar, shady fronter for another purchaser etc. We wouldn't have known any different and could well have ended up going with them - I consider their fee well worth it on that point alone as 'insurance' against us ending up with a can-of-worms buyer.

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