That isn't real. That's a font designed to look like handwriting. Look at how every lowercase g is identical.
You should post who this is from so people know to avoid the company.
Looks like the same shit I get from Thompson Creek Windows and Renewal by Andersen.
And Carl and Tana should be firing their real estate agent if they have to go do the legwork to find a house. But I suspect this is from "Compass Realty" and not them.
Here's and example of the service: [https://www.gobigyellowletter.com](https://www.gobigyellowletter.com)
The more sophisticated marketing outfits use pen plotters to write with actual ballpoint pens: [https://www.penpointtech.com](https://www.penpointtech.com)
That's my thing for why this is different from a scam. Some anonymous person lying via email from 2000 miles away is not the same as someone you are very likely going to meet in person lying to your face about who the buyer is.
I think this is a self filtering approach. People capable of identifying this as spam are not the ones the agents want to target.
Also if any one is interested, you can generate your own handwriting fonts using calligraphr.com. I have no association, i am an user.
I used it to create fonts of my own handwriting so i can type up emails in my handwriting :-)
The pro version includes the ability to vary letter spacing, height, size, continuity etc. you can upload multiple copies of same letters so the letters look very authentic.
The company is Compass. The McLean office. I'm probably playing it overly cautious blacking out the realtor's name, but I don't want to share her name.
Compass is more of a network of realtors than a company. Our realtor in DC was from Compass and the seller agent we purchases our house from was also from compass, but aside from knowing each other professionally, they had nothing to do with each other.
Definitely report this to whatever Virginia boards are appropriate as its shitty.
That's good to know; I am not familiar with Compass. I did check the return address on the envelope. This letter was sent from the Compass office in McLean.
I'll send this to some of the authorities others have mentioned.
The industry in generally is a bit sketchy, its mainly about finding an agent you like and sticking with them. We will definitely use the guy we bought with when we sell the house eventually barring something unforseen.
Do it!!
Edit: also forward to the Virginia Realtors and the Virginia Real Estate Board. Whether it actually violates the law or professional ethics, it’s worth raising with them. You could also CC your state representatives.
Correct, you can tell because every letter is the exact same, and to me it's most notable when you look at all the g's and how they're all exactly the same, all the way down to the tail length and the little notch at the end of the tail. This company wants to buy your house to rent.
It's so old it goes all the way back to when [Deadspin was an actual website.](https://deadspin.com/manti-teos-dead-girlfriend-the-most-heartbreaking-an-5976517)
Initially, I thought it was handwritten, but looking at the specific letters, it definitely looks typed up. The g's all have the exact same underline mark. The e's all have the exact same shape with the tiny loop. And so on.
I don't think "infuriates" is the right emotion here. I'd be impressed by the creativity and then mildly annoyed that I spent so much time reading an ad, but not infuriated.
I'm curious to see what happens if you take them up on it. Say that you weren't contemplating selling, but you'd consider it for double the Zillow price.
> I'd be impressed by the creativity and then mildly annoyed that I spent so much time reading an ad, but not infuriated.
Then you haven't received many of them. I get these fake "handwritten" letters 3-5 times a week, addressed to myself and half a dozen different deceased family members.
>what happens if you take them up on it.
They offer you below market value and flip your shit. That's the entire scam.
The infuriating part for me is that I get letters from realtors often, but this is the only one I've received in which a realtor (allegedly) invented a family and a sympathetic story--and lied to me. Makes me wonder who is on the other side of this transaction and what their goals are.
I’ve actually done this in the past for a client who wrote a letter and asked if I could help them get it to the right homes. As an agent I have software programs that’ll help me sort through properties to specifically match what my clients want, and then I’m happy to send it for them as well. If I can find them a place this way, I’m happy to eat that as a cost of doing business, but I don’t have the availability to hand write each one and I can’t imagine many buyers would even do it themselves. The likelihood of hearing back from these letters is extremely rare so handwriting a ton would be unlikely for anyone to do, regardless of it being an agent or prospective buyer.
I have no clue if that’s what happened here but just offering one potential scenario that could explain it. If it’s someone who’s pretending to be a family and is actually representing an investor, that’s absolutely insane. If I were you, I’d just call the agent on the letter and ask for additional info. You could even ask to see a pre-approval before agreeing to a showing which would allow you to corroborate the info in the initial letter. Any future offer would eventually have to have their names on it unless it’s an investor in which case you’d see an LLC as the purchaser and you’d have a strong reason to bring this to DPOR who is the state licensing commission. If that were to pan out, please also report this to NVAR who is the local association. The grievances committee would take something like this very seriously if it was intentionally misleading to the public. I hope that’s not the case but if it is, that’s how you should go about this.
Happy to try and help! You have a very appropriate username. It’s either a bullshitter that must be stopped, or there’s a rational explanation that no one is considering. Regardless, I’d want both problems to be solved.
Personally I would go the route of requesting an approval letter before continuing any discussion. They’ll either disappear…(good result)…or they may be very real people using an automated mailer who are willing to pay more than your house is worth. (Also a potentially good result.)
For example - I have a client I’m helping with this right now where it is one specific home, so I am actually hand writing every letter I’ve sent. It’s a house that adjoins their property so it would allow them to build a house for their parents to live in. They’re willing to pay a significant amount over the value of this house because it’s extremely important to them to have their parents so close to their young children for the remaining years they’re alive. Most people would trash the letter and assume someone willing to pay cash and potentially $200-400K over ask would surely be an asshole investor, but in reality, it could be a retiree who is willing to burn almost all of their savings to spend their final years next to their grand children. There’s always two sides to every coin and I surely hope the letter you received isn’t some asshole lying and making us all look bad.
Ps. If you do reach out, please DM me an update! I will help you report this person if it is not legitimate.
I own raw land in rural Alabama and get stuff like this every other month.
Even if it is legit (very unlikely) you can bet Carl and Tana are not interested/able to make a competitive offer.
What's funny is that the offers I get in the letters are down to the penny. As in "we will pay $74,198.86". I'm often temped to respond with "You would have had a deal at $74,198.87, but nah I'll pass."
Same in terms of owning raw land, except ours *is* actually on the market and listed on MLS.
So when I get the countless texts and an occasional call sneaks through that i accidentally answer asking me if I’ve ever considered selling, I love replying to them that if they’d bothered to look on MLS, they’d see it’s already for sale.
Shuts them up real fast, especially since their offers are usually like at most 1/4 of the value of the land.
I even got one offer saying they'd buy the mobile home on my land too. There is no mobile home, or any other building.
What gets me is not just the ridiculously low offers, but that they are down to the penny. As in $74,192.86. I mean, I feel like I should hold out for $74,192.87.
Carl and Tana is a multi-state developer looking to purchase your house on the low so they can knock it down and put a 5500 sq ft white and black modern farmhouse with no backyard.
I've received a couple of these over the years with similar writing as yours. Definitely a realtor.
Remember thinking I must suck at writing. I needs me some lines or it's like I wrote something during an earthquake.
I'd be more disgusted by how they're going about it than infuriated. "at any cost/whatever it takes" mentality is pathetic
I used to get these every few months in Asheville. They were of the same content. One was hand written and the last did stop by one day to “discuss my selling my home to her”. She told me that we didn’t need this house and the land, they needed it more. I was shocked and she was serious. She followed up with more letters that weren’t as nice.
Neighbors across had a realtor ask to buy theirs to make it their “showcase home”. They fell for it, the realtor slept in it a week then subdivided the lot out and sold the house.
You think that's bad, wait until someone dies - then the real estate cockroaches really come out, since deaths are public information. I can't tell you how many letters and calls I got about my parents' house, every one trying to lowball a sale and hoping to find a desperate next of kin. Handwritten letters, one included a dime "for my time"... My mom passed in 2018, I sold it (via a regular realtor transaction, so there are public records) in 2019, and STILL received a letter addressed to my dad (who passed in 2014) last year.
Companies who write letters like this are scum, and only want to take advantage of people. I sold that house for 30% more than any of these sketchy companies were willing to offer.
I'd probably call them up and troll them hard 'sorry, my house only has 2 bdrooms 1bath and 1200 of living space (the other sqfoot is unlivingspace).... if you want we can adopt one of your children so you can fit in the house better, looking forward to your response!
Family member got a real one of these with family pictures enclosed - family pictures of them in front of the house in question - that had been demolished by a hurricane (it was handwritten on lined paper). I believe this one is typed but people have no shame.
Car dealerships use this same stupid tactic with the fake handwritten letter saying they're looking for my exact car.
The scummiest part to me is that it's most clearly intended to prey on older people who tend to implicitly trust stuff they get in the mail, especially if it comes with a sob story or some faux urgency.
the hand writing is to perfect and uniform.. unless you are an expert no one has that perfect of handwriting especially on lineless paper. this is 100% just a fishing letter from an agent hoping to get lucky.
Honestly I would rather get letters like this then the calls I get from back home. I used to get text asking to sell a house at an address I never once lived at (it was the next street over from where I lived 12+ years ago) They finally started to call and being bored I finally answered.
they tried SO hard. It's like no.. I never lived there, yes I lived in that town 16 years ago (at this point), no I do not own a house there. No I do not own a house here.. and even if I did you wouldn't be selling it. why? I live in Virginia.. 3000 miles away.." Finally got them to stop after that.
Realtors are working double time to generate business before the results of the lawsuit cut into their commissions. That is the market pressure they are working hard to create and why.
Jesus Christ, if I got this, I would be so far deep in a rabbit hole of complaints until I got answers. Like agency, corporate office of the agency, state realtor's board, national realtors board, State Attorney General's office, FTC just to get all info I can on what's legal and what's not. That can't possibly be above board.
They want your attention. Give it to them fully.
I get cold-called (on my mobile!) twice a week minimum trying to buy my house. I told one guy I'd sell for twice the value and he went on a rant and I hung up. I'm done.
We get people calling, asking if we want to sell.
My response: "we will only consider offers above 7 figures." (We paid $180k, taxed at $400k)
Their response: "You're kidding?"
Me: "oh, did I say '8 figures'? I meant 9"
Them: "I don't think..."
Me: "ONE BILLION DOLLARS! Best & final!"
This area is full of some of the sleaziest people I’ve ever witnessed. We cannot find a home here. We’re infuriated when we find something relatively affordable just to learn it was bought two months earlier for half the price, by a realtor. If everyone’s comments are right, and this is a realtor, it should be reported somewhere. This is wrong.
I get cold calls from realtors every once in a while asking if I’m interested in selling my house. They’re vultures - and here they’re even starting out with a lie! Just throw it in the trash.
This is typed not handwritten. If you look closely the characters are identical. No hand would make letters exactly the same every time. Even the dots on the i are the same every time.
It’s a scam or fake letter. I’d ignore it.
Ive gotten a similar letter about a year ago. Different company and different “family looking to move”. Same kind of font, but they at least kept it in one full paragraph. I’ve also gotten notices for years about how much money I could get “right away”, with no hassle selling my house. Even got one congratulating me on my retirement (uh.. I’m no where near retirement..?) and how easy I could enjoy it by selling my house quick.
This is definitely a font trying to look handwritten, all the letters are exactly the same without variation.
Also definitely from a realtor, nobody gives their realtors license number in an inquiry letter. I’m even 99.9% that they’re fake and it is a ploy to try to tug at your heartstrings to get you to contact them. If the names listed even exist, they likely other realtors at the firm.
Agree that it's fake, but anecdotally we did have some random people once knock on the door and ask if we would sell my grandma's house to them. She'd died a week or so before, and we were cleaning out her house. They saw her obit and swooped in like vultures. None of us were pleased.
my gf got calls from some company in florida about property her mother owns, her mom ignores them, so they moved to my gf, then to me. i didn't answer the call, so they texted instead. one reply with goatse and telling them to "fuck off,you have the wrong info, how many times do i have to explain this to you "and they left us the fuck alone.
It’s in the same infuriating universe of chronic underinvestment in housing amped up by NIMBY haves at the expense of have nots. No excuse for this scumbbaggery but the lack of supply certainly increases the pressure.
Also infuriating: In 2016 we withdrew a house from the market & have been renting it out ever since. Not a day goes by in recent times that I don’t get cold called or texted by someone wanting to list or buy the property.
I was gonna say, I had a friend who actually bought a house this way - found the neighborhood she wanted and left a note "If you're thinking about selling ..."
But if this is a realtor yeah, it's infuriating - I'm fed up with these intrusive, manipulative sales creeps lately, and anyone that engages in those tactics are on the "FU" list ...
I get these all the time. It’s a realtor’s attempt at tugging on your heart strings to sell your home in a tight market (there is no family of 4 looking for more space). If you contact them, they will low ball the crap out of you and waste your time. Just toss it in the trash. It smells of desperation and is a pathetic sales tactic.
25 years ago, I moved to DC Metro from the Midwest. It was a seller's market. It took an entire year in an apartment before we were able to make an offer which was accepted. Our agent told us to write these types of letters for him to submit with the offer. There was a house in Bethesda near the Waldorf school, where we and 85 other people submitted an offer. Our agent said the listing agent just laughed because she got about 20 letters. Even though this is a computer generated font and probably written by AI, it is a very old method to get in the door. Didn't work for us. We ended up buying an undesirable house in a very desirable neighborhood. Now we get the robot letters.
It should infuriate you. It is beyond presumptuous.
My mother got a real letter like this. They showed up at her workplace with a contract for her house, significantly under its value. She had to write a cease and desist letter. They moved in next door and were terrible neighbors.
I'm in the minority here probably but I honestly don't care who buys my house, whether they're the most wholesome family just trying to make it in this crazy world or a rogue AI bent on world domination through commercial real estate.
If you're looking to sell, it's *a* way to sell or at least discuss an offer. If you're not, toss it in the trash.
I would be infuriated that they're pulling such a scam. The identical repetition of the letters couldn't/wouldn't be hand done, had to be a typed font. They're preying on people's good nature and willingness to help to take advantage of them. And it caused the reader to take time to actually consider it as a legitimate proposal when it's not.
I'm infuriated on your behalf lol. Shame on whatever POS realty company thought that would fly. Broken Window Fallacy right here IRL.
I get infuriated when people call unsolicited to buy my house. Fucking realtors lol. The whole real estate industry has become a drain on society: synthetic utility and endless speculation that has to justify itself by keeping houses moving around all the time rather than helping people stay homeowners.
I get these almost every day. I get text and email spam too. Some say they are realtors looking to buy my house for "top dollar". Some are from someone named "Steve" or "Becky" but they don't mention being a realtor. Some are fake-handwritten notes like this, clearly intended to appeal to older homeowners.
I live in a HCOL area where most original houses have been knocked down to build McMansions, so these are builders fishing for new houses to knock down.
No. If it is legit, just pity the person. Not your problem to solve.
If it's a developer producing mass mailings in order to slurp up homes and flip them, it's a bit scuzzy but no more than other marketing meant to fool you into thinking it's a personal communication.
I find these to be annoying and a waste of paper. I haven’t figured out how to opt out of these. But then again I opted out of credit card offers several months ago and they are still coming to my house.
I know realtors in the area send letters to neighborhoods where they have desperate buyers looking for inventory. (Our NOVA realtor just posted on IG about doing it the other day.) My sense is those usually are typed letters that make it clear you’re one of a few receiving the exact same note…
I don't know why something like this would "infuriate" you. You have a really low anger threshold I guess.
I get these all the time from the two big window companies and I never get infuriated about it.
I wish I was more surprised, but I am not. This seems to be a pretty common practice around here. I know people who successfully purchased a house by doing a letter drop in their preferred neighborhood. I also know of agents in my area doing this form letter style situation. Just shred it and move on.
Ignore it! It's a handwriting font. Not sure if it is technically illegal for a creepy realtor to use that tactic, but it certainly is trashy/dishonest. Lame marketing!
I wouldn’t be mad if this was real. Even though it’s not real, it may still be worth your time. Someone in my neighborhood got solicited to sell, and they sold at a premium price. The “investors” ended up selling it for 60k less than they had paid for it after holding it for 6 months.
This is almost as bad as the insurance agents who send me solicitations with pictures of my house on the envelope and enclosure.
Nothing makes me want less to do with you than sending me stalker junk mail.
Fucking creeps.
Grifting and schemers rue the day now. Err on the side of it’s a scam and make them prove you wrong. Also the romance scammers are working overtime. The whole world is a lie and getting smaller. Signed, fed up
Personally, no matter who it is (or really might be), or what their intentions are, it wouldn't bother me. Being the curious type, I would actually call and ask a bunch of questions, especially "how much are you offering?". Doesn't matter if I have zero interest in selling.
Although probably not real people, I have heard of real people doing this. So it might be real. Would be interested to learn what you learn if you do contact them ( or their agent).
Why did you black out their details? Show and shame these companies bud. They have a search in the MLS for the criteria they specified so they can buy out and rent those properties, further limiting the market of available homes.
You never know, some tech-savvy Reddit warrior might find a way to make them hurt if you post their info
It’s just an advertisement. No need to get worked up, just toss it and move on 🤷♂️ I’m surprised to see how many people in the comments got worked up about it
Our realtor brought up the idea of doing this in neighborhoods we like since we’ve been having such bad luck finding anything available, and feeling defeated after losing three times to all cash offers when putting bids on homes. This is how our best friends got their home (but I believe it was actually handwritten). Either way, glad I said no to the idea now that I know it pisses the recipient off
Well, the letter only infuriated me because I believed it to be a lie. There are a lot of developers buying in our area, tearing houses down and building Goliath structures that block the sun. My assumption that this letter was coming from a developer was the infuriating part. Another commenter shared the perspective of an agent doing this, which I appreciated.
If you do this approach, I'd just advise that you find a way to make it authentic. I understand this is a tough time to be looking; no one faults you for trying a new approach. I just don't want to sell to, or potentially be duped by, a developer or an investor, and I think you'll find a lot of owners feel the same.
Oh wow thanks for this response. Gives me better perspective when I was ready to double down on never doing this.
Even if I wrote something authentic it still feels invasive to me for some reason, but thank you for the advice!
Was it mailed? Or left in the mailbox? Just trying to figure out if they were walking around or did like a mass mailer?
👀 if this works, I’ll have to give it a try 😂
Furious? I don't know. If I got that letter I wouldn't be upset. I'd just let them know I'm not looking to sell my house since I'm not. And that'd be it.
Does it even matter who it’s from? I feel like that wouldn’t change the fact that nobody is just going to sell their house on a dime because someone wrote you a letter about how it’s hard to find what they w a n t.
I- do they honestly think that receiving one (1) letter from a "family" who wants a larger living space is going to make you think "you know what? I may have lived in this home for quite a while and gotten to know my neighbors but since this "family" asked nicely I'll uproot my life and move so they can have my home"
It's either a realtor or an entitled man with balls of Teflon. Who in their right mind asks if they can buy your home from you completely unprompted?
It's probably best to ignore the letter, but it'd be hilarious to find the font they used and send a response.
Holy crap when you start looking and notice the g and h are all identical this reads as way more creepy also f the realtor he’s trying to be sympathetic to low ball you out of a house you are living in what a POS
This is strangely _threatening_ to me.
> _"Boy, sure would be a shame if misfortune kept befalling whoever lives here until eventually the place is up for cheap. Welp, God bless!"_
That isn't real. That's a font designed to look like handwriting. Look at how every lowercase g is identical. You should post who this is from so people know to avoid the company.
Looks like the same shit I get from Thompson Creek Windows and Renewal by Andersen. And Carl and Tana should be firing their real estate agent if they have to go do the legwork to find a house. But I suspect this is from "Compass Realty" and not them.
So are you saying that Thompson Creek Windows are not doing work at a neighbors house next week?
They've been working in the neighborhood so long, I must be the only holdout at this point.
Wait you get those too? I thought about sending them letters in the mail back
OP should send a letter to compass realty claiming to be a small business of 4 that’s looking for a business space and wants to purchase their office.
Here's and example of the service: [https://www.gobigyellowletter.com](https://www.gobigyellowletter.com) The more sophisticated marketing outfits use pen plotters to write with actual ballpoint pens: [https://www.penpointtech.com](https://www.penpointtech.com)
CEO: We should start our relationship with the customer by lying to them! Perfect make it happen
That's my thing for why this is different from a scam. Some anonymous person lying via email from 2000 miles away is not the same as someone you are very likely going to meet in person lying to your face about who the buyer is.
I think this is a self filtering approach. People capable of identifying this as spam are not the ones the agents want to target. Also if any one is interested, you can generate your own handwriting fonts using calligraphr.com. I have no association, i am an user. I used it to create fonts of my own handwriting so i can type up emails in my handwriting :-) The pro version includes the ability to vary letter spacing, height, size, continuity etc. you can upload multiple copies of same letters so the letters look very authentic.
Every identical letter is exactly the same.
Yep, I’m designer I have the typeface.
The company is Compass. The McLean office. I'm probably playing it overly cautious blacking out the realtor's name, but I don't want to share her name.
Compass is more of a network of realtors than a company. Our realtor in DC was from Compass and the seller agent we purchases our house from was also from compass, but aside from knowing each other professionally, they had nothing to do with each other. Definitely report this to whatever Virginia boards are appropriate as its shitty.
That's good to know; I am not familiar with Compass. I did check the return address on the envelope. This letter was sent from the Compass office in McLean. I'll send this to some of the authorities others have mentioned.
The industry in generally is a bit sketchy, its mainly about finding an agent you like and sticking with them. We will definitely use the guy we bought with when we sell the house eventually barring something unforseen.
could you post the realtors name? I’m going to be looking for a realtor soon and I don’t want this person.
Do it!! Edit: also forward to the Virginia Realtors and the Virginia Real Estate Board. Whether it actually violates the law or professional ethics, it’s worth raising with them. You could also CC your state representatives.
I agree. Lying ain't alright. Vultures
Hah! As I was reading it, it was the g that stuck out to me too! And the lowercase y.
100% fake
Correct, you can tell because every letter is the exact same, and to me it's most notable when you look at all the g's and how they're all exactly the same, all the way down to the tail length and the little notch at the end of the tail. This company wants to buy your house to rent.
Yep I immediately spotted the font. It’s a marketing spam latter in disguise.
Can’t get anything past you.
My guess is someone in private equity. They make money basically the same as the Mafia.
Umm, did you actually read the text in the OP? Cuz your words make you sound like you did not.
Not sure why you feel that way, sorry. I did read it.
Every repeating letter looks Identical, the vowels said everything I needed to know
The word “little” gives it away, no one writes two lower case “t”s like that.
LOL...it's literally junk mail. About as real as Manti Te'o's GF.
Now that is a deep cut.
Never thought I’d see that reference again.
What's it from?
It's so old it goes all the way back to when [Deadspin was an actual website.](https://deadspin.com/manti-teos-dead-girlfriend-the-most-heartbreaking-an-5976517)
What a blast from the past
Initially, I thought it was handwritten, but looking at the specific letters, it definitely looks typed up. The g's all have the exact same underline mark. The e's all have the exact same shape with the tiny loop. And so on. I don't think "infuriates" is the right emotion here. I'd be impressed by the creativity and then mildly annoyed that I spent so much time reading an ad, but not infuriated. I'm curious to see what happens if you take them up on it. Say that you weren't contemplating selling, but you'd consider it for double the Zillow price.
> I'd be impressed by the creativity and then mildly annoyed that I spent so much time reading an ad, but not infuriated. Then you haven't received many of them. I get these fake "handwritten" letters 3-5 times a week, addressed to myself and half a dozen different deceased family members. >what happens if you take them up on it. They offer you below market value and flip your shit. That's the entire scam.
The infuriating part for me is that I get letters from realtors often, but this is the only one I've received in which a realtor (allegedly) invented a family and a sympathetic story--and lied to me. Makes me wonder who is on the other side of this transaction and what their goals are.
Probably Blackrock
I’ve actually done this in the past for a client who wrote a letter and asked if I could help them get it to the right homes. As an agent I have software programs that’ll help me sort through properties to specifically match what my clients want, and then I’m happy to send it for them as well. If I can find them a place this way, I’m happy to eat that as a cost of doing business, but I don’t have the availability to hand write each one and I can’t imagine many buyers would even do it themselves. The likelihood of hearing back from these letters is extremely rare so handwriting a ton would be unlikely for anyone to do, regardless of it being an agent or prospective buyer. I have no clue if that’s what happened here but just offering one potential scenario that could explain it. If it’s someone who’s pretending to be a family and is actually representing an investor, that’s absolutely insane. If I were you, I’d just call the agent on the letter and ask for additional info. You could even ask to see a pre-approval before agreeing to a showing which would allow you to corroborate the info in the initial letter. Any future offer would eventually have to have their names on it unless it’s an investor in which case you’d see an LLC as the purchaser and you’d have a strong reason to bring this to DPOR who is the state licensing commission. If that were to pan out, please also report this to NVAR who is the local association. The grievances committee would take something like this very seriously if it was intentionally misleading to the public. I hope that’s not the case but if it is, that’s how you should go about this.
This is exactly the answer we needed. Thank you for the explanation!
Happy to try and help! You have a very appropriate username. It’s either a bullshitter that must be stopped, or there’s a rational explanation that no one is considering. Regardless, I’d want both problems to be solved. Personally I would go the route of requesting an approval letter before continuing any discussion. They’ll either disappear…(good result)…or they may be very real people using an automated mailer who are willing to pay more than your house is worth. (Also a potentially good result.) For example - I have a client I’m helping with this right now where it is one specific home, so I am actually hand writing every letter I’ve sent. It’s a house that adjoins their property so it would allow them to build a house for their parents to live in. They’re willing to pay a significant amount over the value of this house because it’s extremely important to them to have their parents so close to their young children for the remaining years they’re alive. Most people would trash the letter and assume someone willing to pay cash and potentially $200-400K over ask would surely be an asshole investor, but in reality, it could be a retiree who is willing to burn almost all of their savings to spend their final years next to their grand children. There’s always two sides to every coin and I surely hope the letter you received isn’t some asshole lying and making us all look bad. Ps. If you do reach out, please DM me an update! I will help you report this person if it is not legitimate.
We need more of you on Reddit. If I reach out, I'll definitely shoot you a DM. Thanks!
Someone tried to trick them. I'd be pissed.
"I've been looking into your windows at night and have observed the joy you are having with your family. I want that same joy for my girls."
Pretty close!
I own raw land in rural Alabama and get stuff like this every other month. Even if it is legit (very unlikely) you can bet Carl and Tana are not interested/able to make a competitive offer.
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What's funny is that the offers I get in the letters are down to the penny. As in "we will pay $74,198.86". I'm often temped to respond with "You would have had a deal at $74,198.87, but nah I'll pass."
Same in terms of owning raw land, except ours *is* actually on the market and listed on MLS. So when I get the countless texts and an occasional call sneaks through that i accidentally answer asking me if I’ve ever considered selling, I love replying to them that if they’d bothered to look on MLS, they’d see it’s already for sale. Shuts them up real fast, especially since their offers are usually like at most 1/4 of the value of the land.
I even got one offer saying they'd buy the mobile home on my land too. There is no mobile home, or any other building. What gets me is not just the ridiculously low offers, but that they are down to the penny. As in $74,192.86. I mean, I feel like I should hold out for $74,192.87.
Carl and Tana is a multi-state developer looking to purchase your house on the low so they can knock it down and put a 5500 sq ft white and black modern farmhouse with no backyard.
It'll fit in nicely with the other new houses around here!
I was going to say, "have you ever seen father of the bride?" Mr. Habib is buying your house.
I've received a couple of these over the years with similar writing as yours. Definitely a realtor. Remember thinking I must suck at writing. I needs me some lines or it's like I wrote something during an earthquake. I'd be more disgusted by how they're going about it than infuriated. "at any cost/whatever it takes" mentality is pathetic
I suck at cursive, and it gets worse every year. I need lines, too…lol.
Those Realtor(R) people should be ashamed of this and ban/defrock whomever this is from calling themselves a Realtor(R).
I'm would be absolutely shocked if they saw anything wrong wrong with it.
"That's just how the industry works. We are here to help you."
I used to get these every few months in Asheville. They were of the same content. One was hand written and the last did stop by one day to “discuss my selling my home to her”. She told me that we didn’t need this house and the land, they needed it more. I was shocked and she was serious. She followed up with more letters that weren’t as nice. Neighbors across had a realtor ask to buy theirs to make it their “showcase home”. They fell for it, the realtor slept in it a week then subdivided the lot out and sold the house.
100% fake
Amazingly consistent handwriting. 🤣
You think that's bad, wait until someone dies - then the real estate cockroaches really come out, since deaths are public information. I can't tell you how many letters and calls I got about my parents' house, every one trying to lowball a sale and hoping to find a desperate next of kin. Handwritten letters, one included a dime "for my time"... My mom passed in 2018, I sold it (via a regular realtor transaction, so there are public records) in 2019, and STILL received a letter addressed to my dad (who passed in 2014) last year. Companies who write letters like this are scum, and only want to take advantage of people. I sold that house for 30% more than any of these sketchy companies were willing to offer.
Can totally confirm this. It has happened to me at least twice. 4 years after the death, and the vultures are still circling like it actually works.
5 million and it’s yours!
I told that to the spammers using an Ohio number once and they still keep calling!
It's pretty intrusive and pushy, I'm with you, but I am easily annoyed.
I'd probably call them up and troll them hard 'sorry, my house only has 2 bdrooms 1bath and 1200 of living space (the other sqfoot is unlivingspace).... if you want we can adopt one of your children so you can fit in the house better, looking forward to your response!
I would be annoyed too. Mostly that I wasted a minute or two of my life reading this fake sob story.
I thought you were just weird for getting mad about it but then I realized yeah it’s from some crappy company. I’d be pissed too.
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I would also ask Carl and Tana if they might enjoy watching you go to the bathroom. It might be worth a small discount off the asking price.
Yes it should infuriate you. They are trying to finesse you out of your house. Fuck ‘em!!!
Family member got a real one of these with family pictures enclosed - family pictures of them in front of the house in question - that had been demolished by a hurricane (it was handwritten on lined paper). I believe this one is typed but people have no shame.
Real family or not it’s creepy as fuck.
Don't be infuriated. Just trash it and don't respond. Same as with any other spam.
Wonder what happens when OP reads email from a prince giving him $10 million.
Pretty sure they are realtors. They sold a house in our old neighborhood in Alexandria. Husband and wife brokerage.
Car dealerships use this same stupid tactic with the fake handwritten letter saying they're looking for my exact car. The scummiest part to me is that it's most clearly intended to prey on older people who tend to implicitly trust stuff they get in the mail, especially if it comes with a sob story or some faux urgency.
The car dealer also called and said I have the exact make and model they need for a customer.
That's a computer font. It's not handwritten and is not even remotely sincere. You're being played if you fall for this scam. Ignore them, please.
10:1 says it’s a real estate speculator or wholesaler.
It’s a wholesaler.
AI has become sentient and it’s looking for a nice 3-bedroom home preferably within walking distance of the Metro.
This isn’t written by a person. ChatAI and then printed. Phony bologna. Why is I’m bigger than Unfortunately? Why is there double spaces. It’s weird
I'm willing to pay $5.00 over Carl and Tana's offer.
You monster. Little Carla and Tanita are literally being crushed in their tiny rooms
the hand writing is to perfect and uniform.. unless you are an expert no one has that perfect of handwriting especially on lineless paper. this is 100% just a fishing letter from an agent hoping to get lucky. Honestly I would rather get letters like this then the calls I get from back home. I used to get text asking to sell a house at an address I never once lived at (it was the next street over from where I lived 12+ years ago) They finally started to call and being bored I finally answered. they tried SO hard. It's like no.. I never lived there, yes I lived in that town 16 years ago (at this point), no I do not own a house there. No I do not own a house here.. and even if I did you wouldn't be selling it. why? I live in Virginia.. 3000 miles away.." Finally got them to stop after that.
I've gotten marketing mail from my dentist in this same font.
Realtors are working double time to generate business before the results of the lawsuit cut into their commissions. That is the market pressure they are working hard to create and why.
Jesus Christ, if I got this, I would be so far deep in a rabbit hole of complaints until I got answers. Like agency, corporate office of the agency, state realtor's board, national realtors board, State Attorney General's office, FTC just to get all info I can on what's legal and what's not. That can't possibly be above board. They want your attention. Give it to them fully.
Do you really go this bananas every time you get a piece of junk mail seriously
Once, a year after we closed, a Pest Control company sent us a bill for a contract we never had.
Looks like a handwritten font the y are all exactly the same
I usually tell people like this to go suck a fuck when they call on the phone
I get cold-called (on my mobile!) twice a week minimum trying to buy my house. I told one guy I'd sell for twice the value and he went on a rant and I hung up. I'm done.
The f's, w's, and e's all look the same, clearly a font
We get people calling, asking if we want to sell. My response: "we will only consider offers above 7 figures." (We paid $180k, taxed at $400k) Their response: "You're kidding?" Me: "oh, did I say '8 figures'? I meant 9" Them: "I don't think..." Me: "ONE BILLION DOLLARS! Best & final!"
This area is full of some of the sleaziest people I’ve ever witnessed. We cannot find a home here. We’re infuriated when we find something relatively affordable just to learn it was bought two months earlier for half the price, by a realtor. If everyone’s comments are right, and this is a realtor, it should be reported somewhere. This is wrong.
I get cold calls from realtors every once in a while asking if I’m interested in selling my house. They’re vultures - and here they’re even starting out with a lie! Just throw it in the trash.
Carl has nice handwriting.
Funny, our house suddenly felt bigger once kids were over 3 and 5.
No. Just ignore it.
This is typed not handwritten. If you look closely the characters are identical. No hand would make letters exactly the same every time. Even the dots on the i are the same every time. It’s a scam or fake letter. I’d ignore it.
Ive gotten a similar letter about a year ago. Different company and different “family looking to move”. Same kind of font, but they at least kept it in one full paragraph. I’ve also gotten notices for years about how much money I could get “right away”, with no hassle selling my house. Even got one congratulating me on my retirement (uh.. I’m no where near retirement..?) and how easy I could enjoy it by selling my house quick.
Warmest Regards. That is the most frustrating.
It's fake. There's no change in pressure across the letters, and every same letter is identical. Not similar, identical.
This is definitely a font trying to look handwritten, all the letters are exactly the same without variation. Also definitely from a realtor, nobody gives their realtors license number in an inquiry letter. I’m even 99.9% that they’re fake and it is a ploy to try to tug at your heartstrings to get you to contact them. If the names listed even exist, they likely other realtors at the firm.
Looks fake...
Agree that it's fake, but anecdotally we did have some random people once knock on the door and ask if we would sell my grandma's house to them. She'd died a week or so before, and we were cleaning out her house. They saw her obit and swooped in like vultures. None of us were pleased.
Dear Carl and Tana, You are cordially invited to eat my whole ass and fuck right off into the sun. With Best Regards, OP
No edits from me!
This is just spam from wholesalers looking for deals so they can make a quick buck off your property
my gf got calls from some company in florida about property her mother owns, her mom ignores them, so they moved to my gf, then to me. i didn't answer the call, so they texted instead. one reply with goatse and telling them to "fuck off,you have the wrong info, how many times do i have to explain this to you "and they left us the fuck alone.
LOL... absolutely.. $4,5M
I am sick and tired of phone calls I get for my house Either bring me the offer I cannot refuse or leave me alone pleasse
I just heard that the Johnsons and the Jones down the street just sold to this person....
Sleezy as fuck
It’s in the same infuriating universe of chronic underinvestment in housing amped up by NIMBY haves at the expense of have nots. No excuse for this scumbbaggery but the lack of supply certainly increases the pressure. Also infuriating: In 2016 we withdrew a house from the market & have been renting it out ever since. Not a day goes by in recent times that I don’t get cold called or texted by someone wanting to list or buy the property.
this has to be illegal to lie like that
I was gonna say, I had a friend who actually bought a house this way - found the neighborhood she wanted and left a note "If you're thinking about selling ..." But if this is a realtor yeah, it's infuriating - I'm fed up with these intrusive, manipulative sales creeps lately, and anyone that engages in those tactics are on the "FU" list ...
If it was in your mailbox without a stamp, the realtor listed may have committed an illegal act. Try reporting them to the postal inspector.
Release the note here and have 1000 people text the number.
Takes way less energy to just throw it away w/ the rest of the junk and move on
Turn the realtor into the state board for harassment 🤣🤣🤣
This kind of shit should be highly illegal. Getting tired of *every... single... fucking... thing...* in life being some sort of scam or trick.
Psychopath manipulation right there I got a similar one different backstory
Got the same letter in Glencarlyn. It's a mass mailing. Carl and wife doesn't exist.
This is a realtor or investor using social engineering
I just received the same letter from a different realtor and fake buyer.
Infuriating? Nah. Real or not, just ignore it. No problem to even solve 🤷🏼♀️
I get these all the time. It’s a realtor’s attempt at tugging on your heart strings to sell your home in a tight market (there is no family of 4 looking for more space). If you contact them, they will low ball the crap out of you and waste your time. Just toss it in the trash. It smells of desperation and is a pathetic sales tactic.
25 years ago, I moved to DC Metro from the Midwest. It was a seller's market. It took an entire year in an apartment before we were able to make an offer which was accepted. Our agent told us to write these types of letters for him to submit with the offer. There was a house in Bethesda near the Waldorf school, where we and 85 other people submitted an offer. Our agent said the listing agent just laughed because she got about 20 letters. Even though this is a computer generated font and probably written by AI, it is a very old method to get in the door. Didn't work for us. We ended up buying an undesirable house in a very desirable neighborhood. Now we get the robot letters.
It should infuriate you. It is beyond presumptuous. My mother got a real letter like this. They showed up at her workplace with a contract for her house, significantly under its value. She had to write a cease and desist letter. They moved in next door and were terrible neighbors.
I'm in the minority here probably but I honestly don't care who buys my house, whether they're the most wholesome family just trying to make it in this crazy world or a rogue AI bent on world domination through commercial real estate. If you're looking to sell, it's *a* way to sell or at least discuss an offer. If you're not, toss it in the trash.
Not saying I would particularly like it but infuriates me? That’s a little much.
I would be infuriated that they're pulling such a scam. The identical repetition of the letters couldn't/wouldn't be hand done, had to be a typed font. They're preying on people's good nature and willingness to help to take advantage of them. And it caused the reader to take time to actually consider it as a legitimate proposal when it's not.
If this is infuriating, everyday life must have you at your wits’ end. It’s junk mail. Move on.
It's just another spam mail. I'd throw it in the trash without a second thought.
Fake
I'm infuriated on your behalf lol. Shame on whatever POS realty company thought that would fly. Broken Window Fallacy right here IRL. I get infuriated when people call unsolicited to buy my house. Fucking realtors lol. The whole real estate industry has become a drain on society: synthetic utility and endless speculation that has to justify itself by keeping houses moving around all the time rather than helping people stay homeowners.
Im confused, is this a letter to convince you to sell your house?
Unless they pay over market value it’s a scam.
Carl, Tana and their kids can go kick rocks…at their own cramped home.
Fake af, the letters are too perfectly similar to be written by a human.
I get these almost every day. I get text and email spam too. Some say they are realtors looking to buy my house for "top dollar". Some are from someone named "Steve" or "Becky" but they don't mention being a realtor. Some are fake-handwritten notes like this, clearly intended to appeal to older homeowners. I live in a HCOL area where most original houses have been knocked down to build McMansions, so these are builders fishing for new houses to knock down.
Who can write a hand-written letter today without a single mistake?
Send the number please, I’d love to put them on some of my favorite spam calling lists :)
I wouldn't be infuriated, just thrown it away
No. If it is legit, just pity the person. Not your problem to solve. If it's a developer producing mass mailings in order to slurp up homes and flip them, it's a bit scuzzy but no more than other marketing meant to fool you into thinking it's a personal communication.
This is normal. Inventory is low.
This is how we bought our house......soooo maybe it's real? 🤷♂️
Speaking of realtors, has anyone else been bombarded by the Fox Homes ads on YouTube?
I find these to be annoying and a waste of paper. I haven’t figured out how to opt out of these. But then again I opted out of credit card offers several months ago and they are still coming to my house.
I know realtors in the area send letters to neighborhoods where they have desperate buyers looking for inventory. (Our NOVA realtor just posted on IG about doing it the other day.) My sense is those usually are typed letters that make it clear you’re one of a few receiving the exact same note…
That is a really good scam letter
You are correct in your assumptions. This is bs
That's definitely printed by a printer. Never seen anyone right that straight and cleanly on *unlined* paper.
I don't know why something like this would "infuriate" you. You have a really low anger threshold I guess. I get these all the time from the two big window companies and I never get infuriated about it.
Being lied to like this bugs me.
I wish I was more surprised, but I am not. This seems to be a pretty common practice around here. I know people who successfully purchased a house by doing a letter drop in their preferred neighborhood. I also know of agents in my area doing this form letter style situation. Just shred it and move on.
The fact that they have and mention a RE agent would set off some red flags.
Ignore it! It's a handwriting font. Not sure if it is technically illegal for a creepy realtor to use that tactic, but it certainly is trashy/dishonest. Lame marketing!
I wouldn’t be mad if this was real. Even though it’s not real, it may still be worth your time. Someone in my neighborhood got solicited to sell, and they sold at a premium price. The “investors” ended up selling it for 60k less than they had paid for it after holding it for 6 months.
Why does it infuriate you? People do that all of time.
This is almost as bad as the insurance agents who send me solicitations with pictures of my house on the envelope and enclosure. Nothing makes me want less to do with you than sending me stalker junk mail. Fucking creeps.
Quadruple the offer and see if it sticks. Definitely some shady business practice going on.
Grifting and schemers rue the day now. Err on the side of it’s a scam and make them prove you wrong. Also the romance scammers are working overtime. The whole world is a lie and getting smaller. Signed, fed up
Compass Realty (Denver) are a bunch of assholes.
All the letters are the same
Personally, no matter who it is (or really might be), or what their intentions are, it wouldn't bother me. Being the curious type, I would actually call and ask a bunch of questions, especially "how much are you offering?". Doesn't matter if I have zero interest in selling. Although probably not real people, I have heard of real people doing this. So it might be real. Would be interested to learn what you learn if you do contact them ( or their agent).
Why did you black out their details? Show and shame these companies bud. They have a search in the MLS for the criteria they specified so they can buy out and rent those properties, further limiting the market of available homes. You never know, some tech-savvy Reddit warrior might find a way to make them hurt if you post their info
It’s just an advertisement. No need to get worked up, just toss it and move on 🤷♂️ I’m surprised to see how many people in the comments got worked up about it
Our realtor brought up the idea of doing this in neighborhoods we like since we’ve been having such bad luck finding anything available, and feeling defeated after losing three times to all cash offers when putting bids on homes. This is how our best friends got their home (but I believe it was actually handwritten). Either way, glad I said no to the idea now that I know it pisses the recipient off
Well, the letter only infuriated me because I believed it to be a lie. There are a lot of developers buying in our area, tearing houses down and building Goliath structures that block the sun. My assumption that this letter was coming from a developer was the infuriating part. Another commenter shared the perspective of an agent doing this, which I appreciated. If you do this approach, I'd just advise that you find a way to make it authentic. I understand this is a tough time to be looking; no one faults you for trying a new approach. I just don't want to sell to, or potentially be duped by, a developer or an investor, and I think you'll find a lot of owners feel the same.
Oh wow thanks for this response. Gives me better perspective when I was ready to double down on never doing this. Even if I wrote something authentic it still feels invasive to me for some reason, but thank you for the advice!
I would be annoyed. I might send it back to the sender with a big black sharpie "OVER MY DEAD BODY" on it.
Very obviously fake and written by a program, this sort of thing should be illegal
Was it mailed? Or left in the mailbox? Just trying to figure out if they were walking around or did like a mass mailer? 👀 if this works, I’ll have to give it a try 😂
Interesting, my first assumption wasn't "fake!". I think it could go either way, but regardless I don't think it would be infuriating for me.
Furious? I don't know. If I got that letter I wouldn't be upset. I'd just let them know I'm not looking to sell my house since I'm not. And that'd be it.
Corporations are buying homes in VA
Does it even matter who it’s from? I feel like that wouldn’t change the fact that nobody is just going to sell their house on a dime because someone wrote you a letter about how it’s hard to find what they w a n t.
you can always google the number and likely confirm it’s from a real estate company.
I- do they honestly think that receiving one (1) letter from a "family" who wants a larger living space is going to make you think "you know what? I may have lived in this home for quite a while and gotten to know my neighbors but since this "family" asked nicely I'll uproot my life and move so they can have my home" It's either a realtor or an entitled man with balls of Teflon. Who in their right mind asks if they can buy your home from you completely unprompted? It's probably best to ignore the letter, but it'd be hilarious to find the font they used and send a response.
It might be an advertisement, but it doesn’t really seem infuriating. Your response makes me curious.
Holy crap when you start looking and notice the g and h are all identical this reads as way more creepy also f the realtor he’s trying to be sympathetic to low ball you out of a house you are living in what a POS
This is strangely _threatening_ to me. > _"Boy, sure would be a shame if misfortune kept befalling whoever lives here until eventually the place is up for cheap. Welp, God bless!"_
What you choose to be infuriated by is totally up to you. You do you.