Proactive house hunting! Have you found a house that wasn't on with an estate agent? Any tips?

[daisie4]

We've been trying to find a house for months and nothing we like and can afford is coming on to the market - although there seemed to be plenty this time last year.

Has anyone found a house other than on Rightmove? I think we need to be more proactive!!

I would target the street you would like to live on, then look for the houses that need the most work (so hopefully affordable) and pop notes through their doors.

Mention if you are in no chain, can proceed immediately, have finance ready, local family etc. I would also handwrite the letter so people can see you are genuine.

We had success using this way about 10 years ago, but decided not to proceed with the sale as we found out the street had a history of subsidence.

Best of luck

Thanks Barking - a few people have suggested notes but I didn't know whether it would actually work - and how you then agree a price?

We found our house through a friend of a friend. Mentioned the area we were looking in to a friend (60 miles away from our old house and quite a few miles away from friend's house) and she mentioned it to a colleague of hers who grew up in the area. Colleague mentioned that she knew a family in the area who were trying to sell their house, our phone numbers got exchanged and bob's your uncle. Their house was just what we were looking for and they got a sale with no estate agent fees.
So my tip is to tell everyone you know what you are looking for and spread the word

I would ask them to get 3 valuations and try and go for midway reminding the sellers of the strong position you are in and that they won't be paying agents fees.

Just keep ringing the EA & ask them if they have anything about to come to market - we got our house before it even reached market b/c the EA knew we were looking. The EA was about to produce the brochure when we got a call & was told the house was about to come on the market & asked us if we wanted to view. We loved the house & it went to asking price between us & another party but they got it as they were in rented, whereas we had a small chain (our buyers were 1st time buyes). Anyway the buyers pulled out & we got it (we were chain free then as we'd exchanged on our house) & we are hopefully moving in at the end of this month, Good luck

my parents bought their last 2 houses by putting notes in the door

We found a house by contacting several suitable houses in the area that were To Let. All of the agents agreed to ask the owners, two lots had the houses valued and on that basis the one we really wanted agresd to sell. We then suggested a part exchange which he agreed to. Our next step was to do a leaflet drop.

Thanks for all your replies - I'm going to write a leaflet today and drop - fingers crossed!

We have had several 'proactive' notes through the door. It's not that our house is very wonderful - far from it - it's that ours is clearly one of the few affordable houses in a nice road.

The one letter I considered good was one that came from the hopeful buyers' solicitor. It was very professional and polite, stating that the interested buyer had funds in place and would be very adaptable as to our position.

Message withdrawn

This lack of property sounds like a country wide problem (unless you all live near me!) My letter sounds very similar to yours Dilemma - so I'm keen to see what everyone else thinks of it. I haven't mentioned any prices though. Mine are all sat in envelopes ready to be delivered, I'm just deciding on which roads.

We popped a letter through the door of 6 houses we were interested in, and an EA phoned us to say they had put the 'For Sale' board up at one property that day!

We bought it - ended up doing a part exchange with our original home - and it was somehow 'meant to be'.

This was 12 years ago - but we had been looked for nearly 2 years.

I just wanted to update you - I dropped about 30 letters and have had three responses from people who plan to move in the spring. One was too expensive and big, went to view another which we like, but probably won't be ready to sell until summer, communicating with the other to arrange a viewing - I think thats a pretty good hit rate!!

Good for you. I delivered 50 leaflets, just another 250 to go!! We had 2 responses: 1 was to say they had signed with an agent to market in New Year and we could not visit before then whilst the second was a man who wanted to tell me how great his house was but it wasn't for sale!?

Oh, that is too funny, Nosey. I would so do that if someone leafleted me (and I wasn't desperately trying to sell this place).

"Yes, it does have slate floors, double glazed sashes, three big bedrooms, and tonnes of period features....... but you can't have it."

Mwah ha ha...

What a nutter.

Glad you've got a response.

If it's unsuccessful and you decide to have another go at it next year, I'd respectfully suggest omitting the bit about trying to buy for a year and few suitable properties.

If I got a letter that said that through my door, my money antennae would start twitching and I'd probably be thinking along the lines of sealed bids. It's not in your interests as buyers to remind the owners that there's a shortage in the market.