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then maybe Home Depot can figure out if a homeowner is getting ready to sell.
I see a business opportunity here. More likely to work than scattershot letters.
I suspect that there are already some realtors using some research to target.
Our neighborhood is turning over, with many owners buying new around 1980 and now retiring. So far there have been about 5 within a block of us. In every case there have been easily recognizable signs.
A big garage sale, a dumpster in the driveway, contractors working. I suspect that could be one reason we keep getting the form letters/cards. We recently replaced our windows, then our roof, and a search of the county records would show that we have been there 26 years. We're staying another 2-3 years.
So your saying if someone approaches you directly about purchasing your home you would take them more seriously than someone writing you a letter?
This is my theory about letter vs. ringing the doorbell. Assume the homeowner is not actively thinking about selling. You ring the doorbell. “Hi I’m Harry Potter. I’d like to buy your house.” Homeowner is going to treat you like any unsolictited salesman and escort you off the property (or some variation of that.). You send letter to same person. Shares letter with spouse. Plants an idea in their head, “you know, if we sold to this guy we wouldn’t have to mess with showings/fix the roof/whatever.” Has time to really think about selling.
Maybe the best approach would be a cold call in person call but give them something with your contact info on it. Add more personal details if it would show you’d be a good fit in the neighborhood (i.e. you have 3 kids and it’s a very family oriented area). Assure them you are looking to be the occupant, not a landlord.
Do “I want to buy your house” letters actually work? If not, do these letters at least make a homeowner start thinking about possibly listing their house for sale in the near future? I’m looking to purchase a house in a specific area but inventory is moderately low and the current homes for sale are either overpriced for what they are actually worth or they are ugly.
I use google street view a lot to virtually tour the surrounding neighborhoods in the area and there are several houses I personally like but they aren’t for sale.
I was wondering if I mailed out letters stating I would purchase the home for above market value would that persuade homeowners into selling their house or listing it on MLS?
If you are truly willing to pay above market value for a home in the area, why not just buy one of the ones that is "overpriced for what they are actually worth"? Isn't that exactly what you are saying you are willing to do?
Plus how on earth do you "tour" a house on google streetview? Maybe the outside has curb appeal but you have no idea what the inside looks like. That's why people throw out these letters when they get them, because they never seem legit.
I get then quite often and they go straight into trash. Unopened.
If I ever decide to sell my house, I surely would not hire some shady, annoying business that is spamming my mailbox.
#1...I was "mildly " considering selling when a person stopped by and stated..." if you ever decide to sell, please give me 1st chance "
A year later I called and him and his wife were very excited and toured the place.
I soon found out his chances of ever getting a loan were slim to none.
I called a local realtor and it got sold
#2...years before I sold a realtor stopped in my yard stating..."there is a high demand for farms like yours in this area and I got buyers begging "
I asked why 2 farms in view of my farm were listed with him for over a year ( reasonably priced) and were still UNsold.
I did this. There was a really cute house for sale in a neighborhood that we liked.
The home was for sale, but the seller took it off the market a few months before I sent the letter.
The seller responded that there wasn't much interest in the property (it needed some updating and was a 1970s split-level), so he took it off the market.
And that he would LOVE to sell it to us! His commute was really long, apparently.
It was like dealing with Mr. Haney from Green Acres.
The non-negotiable price was for $50,000 MORE than he had it listed for just a few months ago.
And a few other onerous terms. Including this zinger, "Looking at your current address on the tax assessor's website, I'm not sure you can afford my house" (umm, ever hear of a 'starter home'?)
I get the sense that the "real" reason his house didn't sell was because he rebuffed any offers with these ridiculous terms.
Sometimes I drive by on the way to other things. He still lives there, and still cursing his commute, I guess.
Do “I want to buy your house” letters actually work? If not, do these letters at least make a homeowner start thinking about possibly listing their house for sale in the near future? I’m looking to purchase a house in a specific area but inventory is moderately low and the current homes for sale are either overpriced for what they are actually worth or they are ugly.
I use google street view a lot to virtually tour the surrounding neighborhoods in the area and there are several houses I personally like but they aren’t for sale.
I was wondering if I mailed out letters stating I would purchase the home for above market value would that persuade homeowners into selling their house or listing it on MLS?
Last klown who sent me such a letter, from so-and-so major realty, got an email from me explaining I had no problem whatsoever walking away on four hours' notice (enough time to pack my Land Cruiser with a few heirlooms) for $3M, cash, deposited to both my mortgage holder and balance to my bank account, branch next door. Come next week I'm retired, frog-gigging all day on an airboat in south-central FL.
That's more than twice what the place is worth, but they will get a pre-furnished bachelor pad in chic colors and wood floors that is turnkey for the next worthy. I'll even leave my laundry and wardrobe for them, plus an extra car and bike so they have wheels.
Oddly, didn't hear back. I don't think that's what goofy tunes wanted to hear, somehow. I figured: never know what a cash buyer might be paying. After all, that's what they indicated, right? Cash buyer waiting (could literally be true, in my neighborhood, since there is very little inventory and the market has been at least "hot" for about five years.
I have sent out a few on behalf of clients, and they haven't worked.
Yet...
The problem is, there's so many agents that send them around as a marketing tool, when they don't really have a buyer. No one believes us when we do... Or if you are actually the buyer. They think it's a form letter.
Yup. My wife says I get at least two a week. We round file them
What do they know about my house other than what the exterior looks like, sqft, and number of bedrooms? And they want MY house as opposed to many of my neighbors who are similar? Oh please, just trying to drum up business - solicitation. Go away.
I get these letters occasionally. We throw them away. They target desperate sellers who will sell for less than market value. I would list with a realtor in order to get proper exposure and interest in the house.
If I were to do a quick cash sale I'd want a similar price per square foot to what my neighbors are getting - otherwise we'll take time to market the house properly.
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