Should I put a note through the door of the house I want to buy?

[Fourthmusketeer]

Is this a weird thing to do?

Our house isn't actually on the market yet, as we don't want to do that until we find another house we like. They so rarely come up - I've been looking for a year now and just nothing is quite suitable. But, there's a house I've loved for years. I just love everything about it. It's the perfect location, great size, perfect layout for us (DH is quite particular). It's a beautiful house. Once I'd looked it up on Rightmove I fell in love with it even more.

The current owners bought the house in 2021, so it's probably unlikely they'd be looking to sell. But, you never know?

Is it weird to put a note through their door to find out? Do I keep it fairly simple? So...don't let on how much I love their house and how I've admired it for years? 🤣😬

There is of course a chance they contact us off the back of the note, allow us to view their property, and then once we actually see it we decide it's not what we thought. That feels really awkward...having contacted them to begin with 🫣

I'm not sure how much it would be worth now. It was close to the top of our price range back in 2021, but I'm not sure whether COVID skewed values somewhat?

Thanks!

I can’t see the harm in a “ if you’re ever thinking of selling your house we’d ve interested, get in touch” note but as pp have said, you need to be able to proceed which isn’t easy.

My current house wasn’t on the market when we offered on it, it had been a few months earlier but then they took it off the market. Our last house was up with the same agent who fortunately for me was very chatty and quite happy to tell me they’d taken it off the market because they couldn’t find anything they liked. Once we had an offer I asked the agent to go back to them to say we’re sold and would like their house if they would rethink selling. I can remember the agent being quite taken aback and telling me she thought it was unlikely but then a couple of days later rang back and said they’d found somewhere and were happy to sell. We were just about to take ours off the market again because we didn’t like any other houses, the dc were both toddlers and we had way too much shit to consider moving into rented.

I think you need to have a buyer lined up at least. My in laws were particular, they were fortunate to be in a desirable property though, they lost a couple of buyers who got fed up of waiting but one stuck around till they’d found something

This has happened to us a few times, we've never been interested.

The way I look at it unless is you're going to offer them well over the market value it's probably a waste of time - you'd need to be making it worth their while and say something like "prepared to pay a good price/above market value". they'd have it up for sale already at market value if it was what they wanted to do.

Nothing to lose by trying though!

I'd keep it more generic so they don't feel singled out.

We often get notes through the door from people looking to buy on the estate and I know that some people have bought and sold that way here but it's a little less personal than having your house picked on which feels more invasive I think.

If you put a note through the door, don't make it creepy or too gushing as you don't know how they will feel:

Dear Homeowner,

My name is xxxxx I am interested in purchasing a property in this street.

If you are considering selling, please contact me at your earliest convenience.

Thank you,

Then add phone number and email address.

You are harassing them if you put a note through their letter box. I would feel very vulnerable if someone came after me like that. It is intrusive and predatorial. I would probably even get a solicitor to tell you to back off.

They will if they speak to their neighbours and tell them about it.

I did it and subsequently lived in that house for 23 years! I targeted a few houses in the area I liked - and explained why - as I was looking for a Victorian terrace with all its features as estate agents kept showing me ones where the bay had been removed in the 60s etc.

My note went along the lines of 'if you are ever considering selling... please feel free to ignore if this isn't relevant'. One person responded out of the 30 or so notes I distributed and we went on to buy that house. The sellers saved a bundle on estate agent fees as a result. My house was under offer though while I was searching.

We did this once, and we've had it done to us several times. It's fairly common in "interesting" properties and desirable areas. Having said that, it's never led to us buying or selling a house!

Little postcard, "We're looking to move to the area, and we just wanted to tell you that we really like your house. If you're considering selling, we'd be interested. Thanks so much..." type thing. With first names and email addresses. Sound friendly and sincere but not entitled or over familiar.

This is obviously a very divisive one - and you have no way of knowing how it will be received as, presumably, if you were friends of the owners, you would have mentioned it to them when chatting.

Some people may appreciate it, and you'll hear all the stories where it worked; but, as PPs have said, other people could react very negatively to it. Fair enough if it's a generic headed estate agent's letter: "Dear Littleham district resident... if you're considering selling your house, we have people who are looking to move to the area..." - but targeting one specific house can be really upsetting.

People will say "What have YOU got to lose", but it's not just about you. You may be a very pleasant person asking just on the off-chance, and perfectly happy to accept No, but many people will feel stalked and don't know what your intentions might be.

My DGM had severe MH problems, meaning that her house wasn't in the best state of repair (despite our best efforts to encourage her - she had the money to pay for work, but anybody she didn't know well coming to her house really worried her). She was also housebound for several years and obviously elderly.

She had several of these kind of letters put through the door from individuals. They were polite enough, but they were clearly not saying that it was their dream house, rather thinking they could get a bargain/something they could afford. Thankfully, she wasn't really able to deal with her own post, so we were able to intercept these letters before she could see them.

If she had thought that somebody had been eyeing up her home and wanted her out so that they could move in - especially as, when the only resident is in her 80s or 90s, we all know what the expectation might be for why the house might become vacant - it would have sent her over the edge and caused her a great deal of lasting trauma.

Even if she hadn't been mentally unwell, I think a lot of elderly people will feel very differently when the home where they feel safe and hope to live in until they die is targeted; as opposed to, say, a young family who may well be thinking of moving up or away and won't naturally feel that somebody is waiting for them to die and hoping to jump in and benefit following their death.

Aside from these issues, I would still be very suspicious of somebody who did this. I'd wonder why they weren't waiting to see if the house was put on the market at some point. Targeting and saying "Please let me know if you're considering selling" does strongly suggest that they want to swoop to limit your opportunity to likely get considerably more if you put it on the open market. If they keep watch, see that it's gone up for sale and then make the very best offer, they will most probably get the house anyway - only without putting unwelcome pressure on the seller prematurely.

I just think it's weird, really: there's a very obvious, established way of making it known that you want to sell your house - even if it's just putting a home-made for sale board of your own outside if you don't like/want to use estate agents - thus not respecting this is overstepping boundaries imho. It's not like they wouldn't know how to go about marketing their house, if they wanted to, and see no option but to wait and hope for somebody to come along and ask to buy it. You wouldn't go to a friend's house and randomly ask if they wanted to sell their belongings, as if their home were a shop; so why would you target strangers in this way?

If you do this, then don’t let them know you’re targeting their house, that would be weird. It would make me feel really unsettled, if I knew someone was observing my home (that I’d got just how I wanted, and intended to remain in for the rest of my days), and had decided that it was just perfect for them and wanted me out!

Just say you really like the area, and are looking for a property, so wondering if they are considering selling in the near future.

We did! It was about 15 years ago and they never got back to us but where’s the harm eh?

Incidentslly, we found somewhere else and they’re still living there.

You’ve got nothing to lose, we used to get them all the time in our old house and when we moved someone had mentioned that a person I didn’t know was thinking about moving, so I popped a note through their door and we now live there. I also have friends that received a note and rang them over a year later and they were still looking.

I’d say do it, but don’t pin all your hopes on it.

What?! One note is harassing? Why would someone asking if you would consider selling your house make you feel vulnerable?

I hate to do that Mumsnet thing of asking if you suffer from anxiety but do you?! Your reaction is completely and totally out of proportion.

And if they say no, or don’t respond, whatever you do, don’t take to standing outside peering at the house resentfully, as you imagine what might have been!

If you are an elderly or vulnerable person living on your own, you may well feel harassed. There are too many chancers in this modern world and people with bad intentions who don't leave you alone when they want something. If they wanted to sell they would go to an estate agent. Is it not better to check out the local estate agents and know what you are dealing with?

We’ve had this and the people asked to look round, we let them as we were actually about to put house on market funnily enough. They cried and gushed on out how lovely the house was and how they absolutely wanted to have it and put offer in there and then. Then it transpired their house wasn’t on the market at all so absolutely no point in any of it. 😂 The whole thing was really odd. They then wanted us to not put it in the market until they had sold their place. Absolute wierdos.

I knew someone who knocked on the door of a house they really liked and asked them to sell. They said yes.

It was the worst decision they ever made - they had to undo years of bad DIY (listed building) and the council were a nightmare to deal with. She tried to sell it for years as she couldn't afford the upkeep and lived in constant worry. She died still regretting ever setting eyes on it.

I only bought mine in 2021 but would definitely consider selling if someone was to contact me. I wouldn't find it creepy to receive a letter, but I also wouldn't consider going about it that way myself.
I'd prefer to receive a letter that was specifically about my property though, not one that implies they're looking for anything in the area as there'd be the risk someone else would reply, they'd like it better, change their mind and waste my time.

I don’t think it’s weird. You have nothing to lose.

I have done this with a holiday house we have been to for years and years. It was owned by my DP’s ex and she sold it but we werent in a position to buy it then. Luckily, the new owners also wanted it as a holiday let and I emailed them a couple of years later and said how much we loved holidaying in the house and if they were ever wanting to sell, would they let us know. They were lovely about it and said whilst they had no plans at the moment they would let us know if they ever did. (still waiting!)

Go for it you never know!

You have nothing to lose and everything to gain

I'm not going to say don't do it, because clearly, people have and have been successful using this "technique," so it may work in your favour, but I am going to say tread carefully.

My parents have had this happen to them. They live in a fairly desirable estate, ideal location for schools and the shops and such. But they have zero desire to sell. It's their home that they raised us in and they're very happy there.

The first letter they received from this person they received it with a bit of puzzlement, but shrugged it off and assumed everyone on the street was receiving the same.

Then, they received two further letters. They never responded to the letters. Never gave an indication that they were interested in selling. The letters contained guff that my parents didn't give a fuck about i.e., the backstory of the family, etc. Why do they care about this random stranger's family? It wasn't going to make people who had zero intention of selling want to sell.

It went from being someone just chancing their arm and putting the feelers out-a little bit confusing, maybe, but nothing of note to being borderline creepy. The thought that someone was scoping out their house-their home, actually, for themselves and having designs on it when there was zero indication it was up for sale was weird.

After the third letter, I was tempted to call the person up and ream them out. They had zero right.

If you're going to do it-bear in mind you're unlikely to be successful-they bought in 2021. What's the chances that 4 years later they're looking to sell? Slim. Only send one letter, as well. Don't keep sending further letters if you're not getting the response that you want.

I get these notes all the time (most recently a Christmas card one saying she had "Fallen in love with your street", which was a new touch). I'm not interested in selling but I have never been offended.

I wish someone would say they want my house! Market has gone whisper quiet.
What have you got to lose, they can only say no. But it might be a yes or even maybe.

I would put your house on the market, we have sold ours but our buyers sale fell through and we aren’t proceedable therefore we can’t make any offers, it’s so frustrating so we are re marketing shortly. You have to be under offer before you can make offers, so it’s pointless otherwise, but no! I wouldn’t think it was weird to get a note like that- they may be thinking of selling!

Seriously? You’d actually spend money on that? What are you so afraid of?