1st, make your agent aware of this, as if it pans out,he/she is not due a commission...2nd, why not call and find out some more details? Can't hurt, and will let you know 1 way or another how sincere the interest is...

My husband wanted to wait to call until we got a few more things done in case the couple is for real and wants to look at the house right away. I will call our agent today and let him know about it though, maybe he has some insight in this.

Certainly worth following up on. You're not going to sell to someone for a low-ball offer, so who cares if they give you one? They'd be wasting their time too.

As an agent, I dont see a reason you need to inform your agent about this unless you just don't want to deal with a possible buyer on your own. You haven't listed yet, you're not obligated to a commission yet. Lots of people send out letters when they want to move into a particular neighborhood. If you can sell the house yourself without a commission, why not give it a shot? If you are unsure of the process, offer your agent a small commission to take the transaction to closing should these people purchase.

I would google their names and any other information contained in the letter to see what you can find out about them.

linda, if you don't notify your agent about a possible buyer PRIOR to signing contract aren't you obligated to pay a commission to the listing agent..i am 100% certain that is the case, at least in NJ and surrounding areas..The OP is close to signing a contract with a realtor, so it is in their best interest to notify agent about this...

Gee, what are you waiting for? I'd call them right away, you have NOTHING TO LOSE! They might just want a house in your neighborhood, and if by chance it IS just a "fishing" for a lowball - you can always say no!

Go for it!

I just talked to my agent. He said it was someone fishing for houses going on sale that he could bring in potential buyers. My agent lives in town in another neigborhood and he said that this guy has sent letters around that neighborhood as well stating what mine said. It probably wouldn't hurt to call but it really sounds more like a real estate scam trying to find people to accept low offers for their house. I trust my agent as he was my neighbor/friend before he built his new house.

I trust my agent as he was my neighbor/friend before he built his new house.

Be careful working with a friend. Do a search here, others have used friends and had problems. I know of another seller from another forum that is not happy with theirs but is now in an awkward position because they'd like to list with a different agent that is actually selling houses but can't.

Depending on the agent, you may not work well together and find they don't advertise open houses or do crummy pictures.

As for the letter, I would call to see. You can do a search here, a few people have posted about writing these letters and are sincere. If it turns out good you won't have to pay a commission if this is the road you choose.

Good luck.

linda, if you don't notify your agent about a possible buyer PRIOR to signing contract aren't you obligated to pay a commission to the listing agent

Yes, you would be obligated to pay the commission. My comment was meant to contact the possible buyer BEFORE signing anything. Its a phone call, find out if they are qualified, talk to them, see what their level of seriousness is. Show them the house, if they are interested they will make an offer. At that point, they could always be excluded on the real estate MLS contract.

He said it was someone fishing for houses going on sale that he could bring in potential buyers

Parkejo, if your agent brings in that buyer, You will owe him/her a commission. He is just securing his spot in case the letter results in a sale. Why not call the buyer yourself and show them your house before you list with your agent? You have NOTHING to lose. Once you include your agent, you owe the commission.

Parkejo, some agents will target a neighborhood sending out letters that appear to be from an interested buyer. The fact is that these agents are solely looking for people that are interested in selling so they can list it. You might be able to verify this via your agent pulling their name up in the local MLS agent/office directory. I know this for a fact because it happened to me. Twice.

some agents will target a neighborhood sending out letters that appear to be from an interested buyer.

In NY this is illegal. All correspondence must state that you are a real estate agent. It might be different in other states, but Im almost positive CT is the same since the two states have reciprocity. I can't imagine a homeowner would list with someone who "tricked" them at the get go.

Its very common in my area for people to send out letters to homeowners if they are looking for a home in a specific neighborhood, especially if it is a good sellers market.

Years ago, a neighbor passed away, and I was interested in buying the property. I contacted the estate saying I was interested in buying it, and asked that they contact me once they had decided upon a price. They told me they would be listing with the realtor. I told them that was fine, but I was indeed interested and the commission to the realtor could be avoided, it they would consider selling directly to me. They already had an attorney anyway handling some matters I'm sure.

Well, they listed, I made an immediate cash offer, and their comment was "Well, you really were serious then I guess."

Yes...I had tried to tell them, but they wouldn't listen. I bought the property, and the estate was out the commission that could have easily been avoided.

Sue

Let us know what happens when you call these people. I get those letters about once a week in SoCal. I've heard that a couple may show up with a realtor who wants you to sign something. A neighbor like Chemocurl would offer to buy a nearby house because she has probably been inside or at least knows the neighborhood. A complete stranger cant know much about the house, not even the price, so I would be a little suspicious.

Well, several posters here (including myself, though I've never commented on it before) have either written letters like this or are considering it, so don't automatically think it's a scam.

I also wouldn't take your realtor/friend's word for it without looking into it first. Your realtor/friend wants to be the one to find a buyer so you owe him a commission, so of course he's going to discourage you from selling it privately!

I do agree with the others that you might pay him half the commission to work out the legalities if you sell it yourself!

Here are a few posts by people here that have written letters:

stupid letter idea By Mary

Buying/Selling with knock on the door or letter to owner By Julie

House not officially on the market but I want to make an offer

going to see a house that isnt on the market what should I do?

Update:

Okay I broke down and called the person. My agent had told me already that this person had been writing letters similar to mine in his neighborhood. When I spoke with the man. He told me he was looking for 2 houses, 1 for investment and another a ranch for himself and his wife (my house is a 2 story). He asked what price I was listing it for and what I based it off of. I said off the comps in the neighborhood, completed sales and the houses for sale that were similar. He also asked me if I knew what my house appraised for. Apparently, he is looking for houses that the sale price is below appraisal and market value. He is looking for a short sale, I guess. We live in a nice neighborhood that has a steady flow of sales still and it seems that the values have held. He didn't seem like an interested party to just my house but he said he had sent out a lot of letters in the area. Oh well. I am hoping we sell this house quickly but I still have a lot of work to do like painting, decluttering of 5 people, and sprucing up the outside. It will take me about 3-4 weeks still to get it ready. My dear husband is gone a lot that he won't be able to help. Got to make calls to find a local handyman! Thanks for all the advice.

Thanks for humoring everyone and calling him back. It probably took less then 30 minutes and you have an answer.

If you looked at some of the links I left, you'll see others have sent out a few letters at a time to see if they would have luck with one or more, then pick after getting in the house and speaking to the owner.

Good luck prepping. There's a post here from last year by me titled sellers what are you doing to prep. That might help you as well to give you ideas on what we've done to get ready.

I'm sympathetic.. I'm disabled with 2 kids (1 that messes faster then I can pick up) and a husband so a lot of it fell on me.

My cousins have an adorable house. The wife told me that they always admired the house and one day wrote the homeowners a letter similar to what you received and the rest is history. If I'm not mistaken, the movie 'The War of the Roses' starts out with Kathleen Turner writing a similar letter and leaving it in the desired houses mailbox while her husband, Michael Douglas chided her.

Just talked to an agent in my office. Three years ago her husband who is a contractor was working on a house. He came home and mentioned to his wife that he really loved the house and would love the opportunity to buy it. She suggested he write the homeowners a letter. They closed on the house 4 weeks ago. :) Apparently the homeowner had saved the letter all this time.

My letter worked!!! We close on June 1st :0)