[Professor]

Ever since my spouse passed away 18 months ago, I started to get calls every 2-3 months asking if I would be interested in selling my home for a cash offer. I always declined because I suspect it is some sort of scam. It never happened until after her death, so I suspect someone is reading the obituaries and grabbing info off of it, hoping to catch someone in a weak moment. Has anyone else experienced this?

[Aces4]

Originally Posted by Professor

Ever since my spouse passed away 18 months ago, I started to get calls every 2-3 months asking if I would be interested in selling my home for a cash offer. I always declined because I suspect it is some sort of scam. It never happened until after her death, so I suspect someone is reading the obituaries and grabbing info off of it, hoping to catch someone in a weak moment. Has anyone else experienced this?

No, but it's a rather disgusting tactic. Perhaps you can acquire their name and phone number to assure yourself you will never do business with them.

[JohnN]

Cash offers are far far below market value, so beware. My condolences for your loss.

[retiredguy123]

The best way to avoid getting ripped off is to know the value of your house. If you get a good offer and you want to sell, go for it. Selling through a broker is a huge hassle, time consuming, and expensive. Cash is king. Not all of these cash offer companies are a scam.

[CarlR33]

Originally Posted by Aces4

No, but it's a rather disgusting tactic. Perhaps you can acquire their name and phone number to assure yourself you will never do business with them.

LOL, pick one of the yard signs “we pay cash for homes” signs found on the road.
OP, I get a few calls every month or so asking if I want to sell my property or more often my parents property (we share the same name). BTW, I been getting numerous pay the toll texts lately, LOL

[Aces4]

Originally Posted by CarlR33

LOL, pick one of the yard signs “we pay cash for homes” signs found on the road.
OP, I get a few calls every month or so asking if I want to sell my property or more often my parents property (we share the same name). BTW, I been getting numerous pay the toll texts lately, LOL

I based my reply on the fact that someone was probably watching the obituaries. That is creepy.

[retiredguy123]

Originally Posted by Aces4

I based my reply on the fact that someone was probably watching the obituaries. That is creepy.

I agree that watching the obituaries and making an offer a week after someone dies is creepy. But 18 months later? Not so creepy.

[Aces4]

Originally Posted by retiredguy123

I agree that watching the obituaries and making an offer a week after someone dies is creepy. But 18 months later? Not so creepy.

I think you missed the OP's: "ever since my spouse past away". That's like saying the 17-18 spam calls my phone received for two months before the April 1 election and now have stopped were just a coincidence.

[Arctic Fox]

Originally Posted by Professor

Ever since my spouse passed away 18 months ago, I started to get calls every 2-3 months asking if I would be interested in selling my home for a cash offer.

Do they ever state the amount they are willing to pay, or are they just fishing?

[Professor]

Originally Posted by Arctic Fox

Do they ever state the amount they are willing to pay, or are they just fishing?

I never let them get that far...

[retiredguy123]

Originally Posted by Aces4

I think you missed the OP's: "ever since my spouse past away". That's like saying the 17-18 spam calls my phone received for two months before the April 1 election and now have stopped were just a coincidence.

I agree that a cash offer is not appropriate immediately after someone dies.

Note that, in some real estate markets, especially where younger people have active careers, they are turned off by the 3 to 6 month house selling process. Some large companies are filling a need by making cash offers with an immediate closing. These are not scammers. The process allows the seller to unload the house and move to another job quickly. I doubt that the brokers like the process.

[Arctic Fox]

Originally Posted by retiredguy123

The best way to avoid getting ripped off is to know the value of your house. If you get a good offer and you want to sell, go for it. Selling through a broker is a huge hassle, time consuming, and expensive. Cash is king. Not all of these cash offer companies are a scam.

Every month I get an e-mail from Zoopla saying what they think my house is worth - no doubt based just on recent sales in the area.

They also include the option to receive a cash quote to buy it. Out of interest, I did this one month and the offer was considerably less than what they had just said the house was worth although, bearing in mind the cost of closing and the time taken, some may think it worthwhile.

What are your views on selling on-line, rather than through an agent?

[retiredguy123]

Originally Posted by Arctic Fox

Every month I get an e-mail from Zoopla saying what they think my house is worth - no doubt based just on recent sales in the area.

They also include the option to receive a cash quote to buy it. Out of interest, I did this one month and the offer was considerably less than what they had just said the house was worth although, bearing in mind the cost of closing and the time taken, some may think it worthwhile.

What are your views on selling on-line, rather than through an agent?

Personally, I would sell my house through an agent. But he/she would be a top seller, I would not sign a boilerplate listing contract, and the agent would be in complete control to price, market, and sell the house. The contract would be for no longer than 90 days, and I would reserve the right to fire the agent if I lost confidence in them.

[Stu from NYC]

Me and my spouse still walking the earth but every week or so get an email like this. We ignore them

[manaboutown]

It seems to me the calling people/companies were watching the obituaries and likely attempting to take advantage of a grieving aurviving spouse as they were calling the home number. In the case of a house inherited by frequently out of state children or other heirs these or similar outfits try to locate and call them to achieve a speedy well under market value purchase.

Over the last ten years, probably based on my age (83), I have received numerous calls from would be buyers and would be listing agents seeking to purchase and/or list one or more of my investment real estate properties. Pre-pandemic an outfit offered what seemed to be a decent price on a property I would soon need to sell due to aging LLC members. We came close but backed off due to ridiculously onerous conditions within the purchase agreement. Three years later I listed the property with a national brokerage specializing in this type of real estate and sold it for 75% more that outfit's offer after competing potential buyers kept overbidding one another. Nothing like an auction!