Tips for finding a house

jamieloft

Hi eveyone

We have been looking for a house since Christmas as so far we have seen two we liked.

The first we liked was the first one we looked at back in January but the vendor withdrew it from the markets.

The Second went on the market on the Friday we were due to view it on the following Thursday but on the Wednesday we had a call from the Estate agents to say an asking price offer had been accepted.

This weekend we are planning to write letters and go to each of the limited number of houses in Exeter that fit our requirements.

My question is has anyone tried this approach do you have any tips or hints for finding a suitable house?

We are looking for four bedroom Semi with decent size garden. New builds are too small both in rooms and garden.

Thanks in advance

Jamie

Good_Money

i am thinking of doing the same thing, putting letters through doors that say:

For the Attention of the home owner,
I am writing to you with a view to possibly buy your house. I have been looking to buy in the area but have not seen anything on the market that I am interested in buying so I am doing this leaflet drop to try and find the right property this way!
I am currently in a position to move at your convenience. I have a solicitor and finances in place so I will be able to move quickly.
I am looking for *insert number of bedrooms or type of house here*.
If you feel you would be interested in selling your house to me then I would be grateful if you could either call me on my mobile or send me an email to discuss this further. There would of course be no estate agent fees payable if I bought directly from you.
Thank you for your time to read this.

gingeralan

I don't want to sound condescending, but try to remain cool about this. You are sounding a little bit desperate and this will be picked up by both seller and estate agent, so they will know they don't have to accept a lower offer from you. It may also cloud your judgement of the places you wish to view.

I have just bought, and we did get a little over excited and missed a few things which we would have thought the survey would have picked up but didn't! (Another story).

JUst book your appointments and if it goes it goes. It was not meant to be. Just try and remain calm, the right property will be available at the right time for you. You obviously have a good idea what you are looking for which is important.

My only advice is remain objective and do not get emotionally involved in the decision too much, I think we were quite lucky, it could have been much, much more expensive!!

pineapple

Surely it's easier than ever to find a house now you can shop online and search according to specifications.
Does it not depend on ones priorities anyway? For me the area is the first thing. I would rather have a modest house in a lovely (to me) area than a wonderful house in a dire area. Then I look at my price range in the area having decided what I can and can't compromise on.
Simples.

googler

Good_Money wrote: »

i am thinking of doing the same thing, putting letters through doors that say:

For the Attention of the home owner,
I am writing to you with a view to possibly buy your house. ......

Fix the grammar and punctuation first.

pineapple

Good_Money wrote: »

i am thinking of doing the same thing, putting letters through doors that say:

For the Attention of the home owner,
I am writing to you with a view to possibly buy your house. I have been looking to buy in the area but have not seen anything on the market that I am interested in buying so I am doing this leaflet drop to try and find the right property this way!
I am currently in a position to move at your convenience. I have a solicitor and finances in place so I will be able to move quickly.
I am looking for *insert number of bedrooms or type of house here*.
If you feel you would be interested in selling your house to me then I would be grateful if you could either call me on my mobile or send me an email to discuss this further. There would of course be no estate agent fees payable if I bought directly from you.
Thank you for your time to read this.

This would be much better condensed into a few lines. And no need for 'I am writing to you'. I would also stress that I was a private buyer and I wouldn't give out my email.

jamieloft

Thanks for the replys so far. The issue is more one of supply in Exeter houses are just not coming on the market. I have had discussions with Estate Agents and they have far more buyers than they have houses for sale. I have been advised by four agents who have valued our house not to put it on the market because it would sell very quickly but we can't find anything to buy.

Not desperate at all really we have a nice house in a very nice part of town its just now we have a baby the house isn't really big enough and the garden is too small.

andy.m_2

That letter is not great to be honest.
How about, and this is only for discussion not anything serious...

Dear Homeowner, are you interested in selling your house?
I am a private buyer in a position to proceed immediately.
please call 07XXXXXX to discuss this.
Regards

abankerbutnotafatcat

I was getting very disheartened after a few months of not finding anything that fitted the bill. I know several friends who have been in the same position too - all in the last 18 months. Don't give up. My advice is get close to the EAs and let them know precisely what you're after and what your situation is re financing so that they phone you as soon as suitable properties go on their books and before they are advertised.

googler

I sold parents' house, after they'd both passed, to someone who put a note through the door. They were renting in the same village, and from the point of view of a quick, hassle-free sale to get the estate wound up, it was fine.

I'm not sure I'd have considered it otherwise. If one person is keen enough on my house to put a letter through my door, surely there'll be others, and wouldn't I be better off advertising it to them as well, in order to get some competing interest....?

DRP

andy.m wrote: »

That letter is not great to be honest.
How about, and this is only for discussion not anything serious...

Dear Homeowner, are you interested in selling your house?
I am a private buyer in a position to proceed immediately.
please call 07XXXXXX to discuss this.
Regards

sounds like a scam!

A bit too generic, so i think a bit of a personal touch ( i am a local person with a young family looking to buy a house in Acacia Avenue...)

not too much , but enought to show it isn't a big mail drop by a national house builder...