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Property/DIY

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Original poster

Leaflet dropping to find a house to buy?

13 replies

N1MTB · 23/05/2011 10:58

Hi,

Out of interest, has anybody actually bought a house through leaflet dropping? There aren't many houses on the market at all in the area we want to buy in so I've been considering it.

Our house in under offer, due to exchange at the end of this week, with a completion date of the end of August - so if we don't find somewhere soon, we'll be renting. However, there's very little much rental stock around where we want to buy...

Thanks all!

OP posts:

Notquitegrownup · 23/05/2011 11:01

I had a friend who sold her house this way. She got a note through the door asking if she wanted to sell, had not considered doing so until then, and realised that it was exactly what she wanted to do!

We tried leaflet dropping ourselves - didn't get a house, but met some very nice people.

KaraStarbuckThrace · 23/05/2011 11:07

Be careful that you let people know that you are a private buyer.

I have had quite a few leaflets put through about buying my house and everyone has turned out to be some property developer wanting to buy for less than market rates. So now I bin them!

Original poster

N1MTB · 23/05/2011 14:11

Ah, thanks... Good tip re making sure people know we aren't a developer... And good to hear of actual success! Thank you!

OP posts:

Mollymax · 23/05/2011 14:45

It is certainly worth a go. If it is good enough for Phil and Kirsty!
You might strike lucky with a family just considering putting their house on the market.
Good luck.

oldenoughtowearpurple · 23/05/2011 14:50

A leaflet prompted my friend to sell her house, and i did one when I was looking to buy and saw several properties that weren't on the market. Definitely worth the while.

COCKadoodledooo · 23/05/2011 14:54

You might come across someone like my mum. They had a lovely (copperplate handwritten) letter advising that these people were looking to buy in the village, would mum & dad be interested in selling. Dad followed it up (cash buyers, at a rate that was well over market value at the time).

Mum, who had done nothing but moan about the place since they moved in, said, and I quote, that she "didn't want to sell it to anybody who wanted to buy it"

They are still there, funnily enough..

Good luck!

Original poster

N1MTB · 23/05/2011 15:27

Right! That was the motivation I needed... Am going to have a go at writing a letter.... Thank you!!

OP posts:

MrsCholmondleyWarner · 23/05/2011 16:12

We're in a smiliar position and also trying this at the moment.

I was also told by the EA's that there "are lots of buyers in our position" (e.g proceedable and keen to buy in this particular area) so that gave me the impetus to swallow my self-consciousness and get out there with my leaflets!

So far we've had first look at one house which will be put on the market shortly. It wasn't right for us BUT it was a fab way of getting through the door first AND the owner gave us a fabulous, comprehensive tour which put EA's to shame.

I think if you've got a limited number of streets that you're interested in, it's a good way of catching a first look at houses that would probably make it onto the market anyway in good time.

We've leafleted the streets we're really keen on now so at least I can rest easy thinking that I've done all that I can to find a house. I was getting sooooo frustrated feeling like I was just waiting for something to come on.

Good luck!

Original poster

N1MTB · 23/05/2011 16:18

Thank you... That's just how I feel. I keep just waiting for a call from an estate agent (or staring at the same rightmove search results, wondering if anything that is clearly not right for us might just possibly be ok). It's really frustrating!

OP posts:

daisie4 · 25/05/2011 13:36

We bought our house this way last year. I dropped 30 letters in handwritten envelopes and got 3 replies. We got our perfect house, so very pleased - definitely worth a go.

kylesmybaby · 25/05/2011 13:40

a friend of mine wanted to live in a certain road. she did this and got the house she wanted. good luck.

Original poster

N1MTB · 25/05/2011 14:23

Oooh - sounds promising then. Have booked in my parents to babysit on Saturday morning so we are going to spend the day trying to view houses (if any come on the market that we like the look of...) and will drop off some letters in my favourite road... Thanks all! V pleased it all worked out for you daisie4!

OP posts:

narmada · 29/05/2011 14:40

I've just been doing this in the streets we want to move to - we're really, really limited by ridiculously small school catchment areas and there's a real shortage of stuff on the market round our way. Have seen 4 houses so far, all of them perfectly good houses but not right for us for one reason or another (e.g., one was beautiful but I knew when I walked through the door that we couldn't afford it :( - impossible to tell from outside). Have had about 8 people contact me from approx 150 leaflets, so a pretty good hit rate.

We're still looking but I'm glad I did do the leaflets as they've generated quite a few 'bites'.

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