Sod it, I'm flyering houses on the dream street. Your tips?

[Ilovesnacks]

Did anyone pop flyers through to houses on streets they'd like to buy? I've thought a lot and gone back and forth but sod it, there's nothing to lose. We are under offer ourselves and flexible. But this is London where it's dog eat dog.
Would you put your cards on the table and mention budget? What other tips do you have? If you're someone who received one and was a bit curious, what was it that peaked your interest?

The 'bump' made me want to throw up, that's totally vomit-making.

And just imagine what it would be like to get that if for some reason you'd wanted kids and couldn't have any.....If anyone wants to flier people, I'd suggest you are hyper-careful not to give even the slightet cause for irritation. Keep it businesslike and polite.

We get flyers about every other week or so saying 'Buy to let landlord has cash ready!'. Straight in the bin.

I think your main problem is that people are selling and moving to rented, to be a chain free buyer. Most of my friends have sold to people chain free and themselves, moved into rented to become a preferred chain free buyer when it came to viewing houses. People who had really bad experiences with chains in the past are now less likely to enter into one, especially if the area is in demand.

This also applies to leaflet buyers - we're in a SE and the above is happening. Seems to be plenty of cash and chain free buyers around.

So much harder all round than when we bought.

Agreed

I’ve a family member who is in her mid 60s who still owns her family home. A large house in a naice bit of London, which will be worth millions these day.
Her DH died a few years ago and her children are in their 30s and have long left home. She gets targeted letters implying she’s a doddery old bird living in one room who can’t do the stairs, and instead she should sell below market value so Octavia and Oliver can be in walking distance to the local prep.

She is fit as a flea! And it’s the assumption that she must be decrepit and struggling as she lives alone in her 60s that offends her. The generic ones she ignores but the ones she does get saying “poor old dear, leave your house and sell it to us” she will get in touch and tell them to fuck off

I think just keep it factual. No sob stories etc…

Which is fine, but if you were interested in selling, you might be interested….

Not if they were BTL. No. Sorry. Doesn't work for us.

I did something a bit similar. We were due to view a house in a small close. I googled the Close name to try to research it and an old estate agent details came up in my search for another house. Think it was a couple of years old. I contacted to estate agents to see if the were still interested in selling. We viewed both houses on the same day preferred the one that wasn't on the market but we put in an offer and eventually bought the house.

But it isn’t BTL!

If you read my post, I said I always bin BTL flyers, because they are the main ones we get. I'm not too keen on other types, either, as you can be anything to like on a flyer, and we aren't planning to sell.

I've done it , and have also received them. In fact the most recent sale was to someone who contacted me to say he had "heard on the grapevine" our house might come on the market in the next year or so and if it did, please let him know. Because he'd always wanted it.

Nothing to be lost; don't mention money at the outset. Just your name, address, contact details and that you are private buyers .

What a varied response to leafletting. We've had letters (with budgets and numbers of rooms required) and EAs looking for stock. Very very popular primary school nearby. One on our street just sold within a couple of weeks of going on despite other houses in the postcode further out hanging around for months on end. I personally think it's a compliment when people post letters.

I sent about 20 letters to specific houses in the roads I wanted to live in after my purchase fell through after 7 months.

I was desperate to move, so explained I had had a purchase collapse but was still keen to buy in the area.

I stated that I'd sold my house, was living with family, and had an agreed mortgage, just needed the house to slot in.

I put my phone number and email, and also my solicitors details do they could check it out with her.

I received 3 responses; 1 saying thanks but no thanks, 1 wanting £100k more than the house was worth, and the final house I am sitting in now as owner.

Vendors saved £10-15k in estate agent fees, so they were pretty happy. If you really love the house, be prepared to pay whatever the current market is, so that the vendor not to go to the open market and take their chances.

I’m not looking to sell, but I don’t think I’d be annoyed or offended to receive a letter. I’d probably go as far as making quick contact to let them know they could remove me from their list of hopefuls.

Often get letters from agents re “looking for homes similar” etc - they go in the recycling.

Am finding it quite amusing re the use of the imaginary names of children on this thread. They aren’t everyday names and definitely have a veiled insult behind them.

Personally it’s not something I would do as it seems desperate! I can understand that it’s dog eat dog - but just register your details with estate agents and when they get a new instruction then they’ll contact you.
Also, I would strongly advise against posting letters through the letterbox of an empty deceased estate as you don’t know what the family has planned for the property. They could be having relatives move in themselves, renting it out or indeed selling it…. But just wait.
Even if you have to rent a short while - at least then you’re favourable as there will be no chain on your part!

A lot of houses in our street have been "done up to the eyeballs" with all the timber cladding, balconies and uprightness. We like nature, we bought our house because of the bats in the attic, the tawny owls nesting in the old black poplar and the badger set at the bottom of the garden. It's a glorious wilderness and we love it (especially now with no mow May).
You wouldn't believe the amount of flyers we get from people wanting to buy, we know they just want to make the place over and have no interest in the wildlife that we love..

Uplighters*