MooCow Posted June 21, 2016 Share Posted June 21, 2016 So, yesterday evening a man in a suit and tie knocked on our door ( I say this because it was uber hot and gross outside.) DH and I both answered because it is not uncommon for people running for office to go around door to door to introduce themselves. Anyhow, he wanted to know if we were planning to sell our house.........Dh and the kids were surprised and thought it was weird and creepy. I, on the other hand, did not because of all the different posts regarding real estate on this board. (Yay Hive!) After I explained it to them they were like cool. We're popular! :laugh: So, I was just curious if this has happened to you or someone you know....and if anyone in real life has sold/bought a house this way. It's been talked about before .......but I can't remember the details Of course we had just decided literally this past weekend not to try to downsize until after our DD finishes college and her graduate program. Home prices have gone up so to downsize would ironically cost more. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Entropymama Posted June 21, 2016 Share Posted June 21, 2016 Not exactly the same, but I have a friend who was a state representative. They wanted to buy a house but it had to be in her district and they were having a terrible time finding what they wanted. They noticed someone in a good neighborhood and a double lot, so they knocked on the door to ask if they'd consider selling the lot. Turns out they were, my friend built a house there and they've become friends with the neighbor who sold to them. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frugalmamatx Posted June 21, 2016 Share Posted June 21, 2016 I get at least one of these a month. My house looks like crud and needs a lot of work on the exterior, so it looks like a good "flip" candidate. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nd293 Posted June 21, 2016 Share Posted June 21, 2016 A real estate agent stopped by 18 months to 2 years ago. I told him we would be selling in the future and he popped by a year later to check in. I actually liked that he'd not bothered me in between, but had in fact kept us on record. It seemed organised. We're ready to sell now and I'll start by contacting him. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
umsami Posted June 21, 2016 Share Posted June 21, 2016 I get post cards from people wanting to buy my house as is. It's weird. A few people did sell their homes in my neighborhood to groups like that. One was turned into a frat house for the local university which has caused a lot of problems for the neighborhood. The HOA is working to ban frats and such but so far, no luck as it requires so many homeowners to vote on it, and most don't vote. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted June 21, 2016 Share Posted June 21, 2016 We get canvassed every once in awhile. Our area has mondo gentrified so it makes sense. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustEm Posted June 21, 2016 Share Posted June 21, 2016 The house I grew up in was prime rental real estate for college students so every few years my parents would be approached by other landlords on the street looking to buy the last non rental on the street. They'd also be approached by the University themselves. They had no interest in moving since my mom walked to work, at the University, and they had 7 kids who if they attended that university had a free place to live in walking distance. They finally sold it to another landlord after my mom retired and a month after I married and moved out, I was the youngest and a senior in college. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tap Posted June 21, 2016 Share Posted June 21, 2016 (edited) I have had that knock before. I just sent them on their way. The realtor was very nice and professional though, so it wasn't skeevy feeling. The realtor said she was using our house for a comp and it met the criteria for another client she had. She wanted to see if we were interested in listing it or even just showing it to the one client. I have friends who have both bought and sold based on knocking on doors. I don't think it is uncommon. Edited June 21, 2016 by Tap 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenmom5 Posted June 21, 2016 Share Posted June 21, 2016 (edited) an elderly neighbor up the street had at least one real estate agent approach him. given his reaction - I think it was many more. he's on a very large piece of property that can be subdivided into multiple homes. across the street from him, a developer just completed a tract of six mcmansions. anyway - apparently - he met the last RE with a shotgun and told him to never come back. eta: I've had phone calls and postcards. Edited June 21, 2016 by gardenmom5 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnnE-girl Posted June 21, 2016 Share Posted June 21, 2016 My dad's friend did that. There was a house he really liked that he passed frequently, so one day he rang the doorbell. He told the owners he loved their property and if and when they were ready to sell to please contact him. A few years later they did and his family has lived there ever since. It's probably been 25 years. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
My3Munchkins Posted June 21, 2016 Share Posted June 21, 2016 We get calls from different realtors every few weeks asking if we're interested in selling but have never had someone actually come to the door. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HRAAB Posted June 21, 2016 Share Posted June 21, 2016 I've had realtors either call or knock on the door asking whether we were wanting to sell. I assume they had a client that was looking for something similar to what we have and in the price range. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted June 21, 2016 Share Posted June 21, 2016 No only once someone knocked on the door and asked if we had a room for rent. That was weird. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theelfqueen Posted June 21, 2016 Share Posted June 21, 2016 We get a few of these a year! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davysmom Posted June 21, 2016 Share Posted June 21, 2016 My parents sold their house this way. They had had it on the market a year before. And some friends sold this way. In both cases it was not a realtor or investor but an idividual who was interested. That person bought it and moved in. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ali in OR Posted June 21, 2016 Share Posted June 21, 2016 Two of the last three houses that sold on our street never went on the market. The house next door was sold to a family that lived around the corner that wanted to be in the same neighborhood but in a bigger house. I don't know how they hooked up, but I know the house was never on the market. We get letters from realtors once in awhile asking if we're interested in selling. It's not the generic "we want to list your home" type letter which we also get--they have a client specifically looking for a newer single-level home and they're rare here. We had ours built for us for our wheelchair kid (so, no, we're not interested in selling!). 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
purpleowl Posted June 21, 2016 Share Posted June 21, 2016 Never happened to us, and I'd be really weirded out if it did! I had no idea this was a thing. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ottakee Posted June 21, 2016 Share Posted June 21, 2016 The supply of houses in our area is so low that is is fairly common in our area. I think we could sell our house very quickly and maybe without even listing it. Five acres, 2 doors down from elementary school, heated pole barn with auto hoist, 4 stall horse barn with loft and fencing. House has 5 + bedrooms, 3 full and one 1/2 baths.....and the cheapest property taxes in the county. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vonfirmath Posted June 21, 2016 Share Posted June 21, 2016 The supply of houses in our area is so low that is is fairly common in our area. I think we could sell our house very quickly and maybe without even listing it. Five acres, 2 doors down from elementary school, heated pole barn with auto hoist, 4 stall horse barn with loft and fencing. House has 5 + bedrooms, 3 full and one 1/2 baths.....and the cheapest property taxes in the county. Those two things are pretty unique. I'm used to elementary schools being in more built up areas! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rachel Posted June 21, 2016 Share Posted June 21, 2016 I've known two people that has happened to in the last couple years. One was a cookie cutter house and they thought it was a joke, but got cash for their house. There is a shortage of homes in certain price ranges in our area right now so it's a great time to be selling, not so great to be buying though. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zinnia Posted June 21, 2016 Share Posted June 21, 2016 My inlaws had this happen at the peak of the market in 2006. They opted to not sell. Their house price has still not recovered to what the person was offering. Dh and I tease that if anyone ever approaches us to buy our house (an individual, not an investor), we're going to take it as a sign of a sellers' market and get what we can out of the deal. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted June 21, 2016 Share Posted June 21, 2016 We get post cards and phone calls. The person calling will often ask me if I know of anyone wanting to sell, if I say no regarding our own house. I dislike it immensely and feel like they are trying to get me to do their advertising work for them. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Tick Posted June 21, 2016 Share Posted June 21, 2016 Those two things are pretty unique. I'm used to elementary schools being in more built up areas! I thought the same, but perhaps she lives rural. The county schools in my area are often surrounded by various sized farms and everyone is bussed. Still sounds like a great house, though! If you ever want to sell.... :-) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ottakee Posted June 21, 2016 Share Posted June 21, 2016 Those two things are pretty unique. I'm used to elementary schools being in more built up areas! We are rural. All properties near the school are 5-20+ acres. All kids are bussed. We have neighbors on 3 sides of us but heading south the next closest house is about 1 mile away. Besides the school we have the township park 1/8th mile down the road across the street. Makes for nice living. Of course town is 12 miles away and the nearest gas station mini mart is 2 1/2 miles away and one of only 2 in the whole 36 square mile.township. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StephanieZ Posted June 21, 2016 Share Posted June 21, 2016 LOL, I predict that your neighborhood home values are skyrocketing. :) My mom and dad bought a home for 50k in 1971. A couple years later, an agent came through as in your case, asking Mom if she wanted to sell. Mom was startled and said, "well, for 100k!" which she was saying in a way that meant like "sure, I'll sell you my minivan for a million dollars!" They didn't list or sell at that time, but it was worth 100k within a year or two, and 200k in a couple years after that, and over 400k in 1987 when she sold it . . . So, anyway, based on my very limited experience, I predict that agents are looking for houses to list/buy in your area when the market is very tight and thus values are rising rapidly. :) 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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