In love with a house that’s not for sale

[Whatiswrongwithmykid]

Would it be rude to write the owner a note to tell them I love their house and ask them to contact me if they ever decide to sell?
I have liked the look of this house ever since moving to this area. It’s a bit ramshackle from the front and the window frames are rotten but it has huge potential. I’ve been half expecting it to go on the market but 7 years later it hasn’t.
I’m wary of offending the current owners though as I appreciate it’s their home where they’ve seemingly lived for years and years.
WWYD?

We bought a house the sellers knew I was desperate to buy. We had a reasonable discussion about the price and came to a civilised agreement.

My friend did similar on the off chance as she fell in love with the house. A year and a bit later she now lives in the home of her dreams.

My neighbours moved just before xmas after having a note pushed through their door.

I would definitely consider doing this myself if I loved a house, you have nothing to lose.

Go for it! We’ve had 2 in the 6 years we’ve been here and it’s nice that other people like our house as much as we do (even if they’re not having it!). I’d agree with the PPs who’ve said it’s unlikely to make the owners ask for anything outlandish - the route ahead would surely to be to get some valuations if they were interested.

I'm now feeling slightly disappointed that no-one has posted a note through my door asking to buy my house 😂

I have had several people take selfies in front of it though, so I'm probably not the only one who thinks it's pretty.

@Whatiswrongwithmykid

My DH tends to be on the paranoid side and thinks they could push the price up if they know it’s the only house we are considering.

That's not paranoid, just very cynical.

As pp have said it would be usual to get valuations before agreeing on a sale price. The vendors will save on EA fees and may choose to pass some of this saving on to you but that is their prerogative.

If you need a mortgage it is very difficult to pay over the odds for a property at the moment. Lenders are being very conservative with their valuations.

We sold a house to someone who put a note through the door. It was a lovely two bedroom "starter house". They where downsizing and it was very close to their daughters home. They offered 1k more than an estate valuation with obviously no estate agent fees. We snapped Their hand off. We had been playing with the idea of moving for a while but hadn't made a firm decision. They where happy and we where happy

I think that's quite cheeky and I'd be a bit annoyed to receive such a note. Still I met somebody who did this in a whole street and got lucky. But she was that type. I wouldn't have sold to her on principle.

@Viviennemary

I think that's quite cheeky and I'd be a bit annoyed to receive such a note. Still I met somebody who did this in a whole street and got lucky. But she was that type. I wouldn't have sold to her on principle.

Why, if you don't mind me asking?

What is 'that type'?

I can't believe anyone would honestly be annoyed to be told that they have a lovely house that the note-writer would be happy to live in. How weird. Only on MN would this be 'cheeky'

We've had this, I wasn't offended in the slightest, quite the opposite in fact, turns out she's always loved it and will buy it if it ever comes on to the market.