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leaflet / mail shot to find a house to buy?

6 replies

sianihedgehog · 02/03/2015 19:56

My OH and I are in Brighton, expecting our first baby, and trying to buy a little house but the market is ACTUALLY INSANE. We've offered on three houses, and two went for over our already over asking price offers, and the third, although we offered over asking price, the owner decided he doesn't want to sell after all. It seems like half of the houses I call up about from Rightmove have either already sold, or the owner has decided not to sell after all.

In this kind of wildly overheated market is it even worth trying leafleting? We get several estate agent letters through the door of our flat every week looking for property to sell, surely everyone knows that they can sell if they want to?

And how do we deal with not wasting people's time with looking at houses that are more than we can afford if we do it? Do we just lay out how much we can pay?

There's no way to tell how much houses are going to be worth from outside and we're looking at a pretty big area. And although we have finance in place and are very flexible because we're renting, we are still looking at the bottom end of the market. And there are cash buyers hovering like vultures over anything affordable... I hate the thought of falling in love with a house we can't actually afford.

Relatedly, does anyone in Brighton want to sell us their cheap 2 bed house? Grin

OP posts:
bilbodog · 03/03/2015 22:11

No harm in putting notes through doors explaining your situation and asking if they are thinking of selling. I hope you have also told local estate agents what you are looking for but if the market is as mad as you say it us going to be difficult. You need to phone agents every couple of days to see if you can get to view before anyone else and be prepared to pay asking price or more to secure a deal. Good luck.

OfficerVanHalen · 03/03/2015 22:13

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

poppet131 · 04/03/2015 22:49

Do it! You have nothing to lose. I would write a handwritten letter (or at least sign it) so that people don't mistaken it for junk mail. Don't use envelopes either. Good luck :-)

ScaryChicken · 05/03/2015 06:10

Are you signed up with Estate agents or just looking on right move?

As much as a dislike EAs signing up with them will mean you hear about houses coming on the market earlier.

Also, I think Rightmove or maybe Zoopla has a way of searching for houses that have been on the market for a long time, or been reduced, for whatever reason. Even on a market as crazy as this there will be some. If you can see past whatever is putting others off these houses then you might have a chance with a low offer.

Good luck!

ScaryChicken · 05/03/2015 06:12

A = I & on = in, obviously!

sianihedgehog · 05/03/2015 07:35

We're signed up with every branch of every Estate Agent in the city! The problem seems to be mostly just that competition in this bit of the market is insane.

The one that the owner decided not to sell had been on the market about a year, but apparently the actual problem was not that he was refusing any offers under asking but that he was a crazy person and just liked having it on the market with no intention of selling....

I'm really not sure what to do about prices though - we have a hard limit of £280k on what we can spend, but properties in the areas we like, of the size we like, can vary from about £250k to £375k.... Everyone seems to say "don't mention money" but surely we'll just get people calling to say they want £375k if we don't...

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