Why all these calls and texts about my house lately?

[GetX'd]

When we were in process of building in Idaho I checked with two online companies- Zillow and I forget the other one. The other came out at my request to do their inspection (zero issues needed addressing) They were ready to write me a check from the offer they had made. I was going to accept but then things blew up in Idaho and we bailed on moving at this time. Bottom line is some of these companies are legit and will write a check based on their offer and you just walk away with the cash - Nothing more to do. So if you were going to sell - some are legit w/legit market based offers w/o a lot of the extraneous expenses like realtors commission and more. Not a bad way to go. I just sold my Lexus SUV to Carvana in a similar fashion. I pinged them, they made an offer sight unseen - just the carfax, I accepted. They picked up the vehicle and the money was in my acct the next day. Smooth as silk. I got 3 bids Carvana was by a decent margin the highest, so bang it’s done. A home sale can be similar if so desired.

 

[GTXDAN]

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Does that come with a happy ending

 

[kiwigtx]

Does that come with a happy ending

only if the wife doesn't find out.

 

[MarPar]

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[Budnicks]

A lot of those calls around these parts are hungry real-estate agents looking for a quick commission.

They don't care about you or your property - as long as they get a quick flip or sale they don't care.

My in-laws are frequently harassed by local Chinese agents because houses around theirs are being knocked down and re-purposed as multi-dwelling properties - as in like 5 or more houses where once one stood.

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[Budnicks]

I have a land line, I screen all calls & has a answering machine
all my business stuff was based off it, since 20+ years
& an old style HP inkjet printer/FAQs machine too, works just fine

I can block like 100 or so numbers on my cordless phones alone,
we get a few I automatically block too, known scam area codes
most that call the landline when they get the answering machine just hang up
If I don't know the # or recognize it, I don't answer it, it goes away, deleted...
We have a very good caller ID...

I redid my 'do national not call registry', it took about a month & 95%
of all that ****/spam calls on the landline stopped altogether

The cell phone was/is 10 times worse, for spam, all sorts of it
you name it, medical **** to car buying to house ins. or sales etc.
even with added programs, to block that spam call ****...
I just don't even turn on the cell phone or give out that # ever hardly
exclusively to a few family members & select friends, a few trusted business friends...
I use it now, really when on the road or traveling, I don't do much of either of late
so it sits, it's from Consumer Cellular $20 a month, no big deal...

I have my elderly Dad living here with me,
he's a seriously technology challenged 87 y/o
you do what you have to do...
Less changes I do with any electronics around here,
the better for his sake... & my sanity

 

[Dipstick]

I’m curious - Do you guys all have land lines?

I do, plus Caller ID and NoMoRobop. Caller ID has been my salvation...no recognize number, no answer.

 

[patrick66]

I usually pick up and answer "Hi, potential spam! What **** are you trying to get away with today?"

Most of what we get are from Black Rock, State Street, or Vanguard. All are part of the "15-minute City" scam. They're buying property like crazy and renting them out, or bulldozing for different development. Remember always that all are a part of the WTF "you'll own nothing and like it!" tell them "One million dollars, cash, by close of business today!". They reply "what makes you think it's worth that?". I reply two things - "Because I say it is, and remember, you called me!"

Another tact I'll use is "You called me, what are you offering?". To which they skirt that question, never making an actual offer.

My wife answers "Five million by COB today. If that's not possible, quit calling me and go **** yourself!" and the she hangs up.

Before I forget, has anyone got calls about "Do you have medical insurance?". I really felt like jackin' with this caller, so I said "Yes, but before we go any further, I'm a 4'4" amputee dwarf with COPD, on BP meds 'cuz mine is normally 290 over 134. I have five of my own teeth left. Can't see ****. I can hear better than my dog, thank God! I drink a fifth of vodka per day and imbibe in three doobies a day. Nerves, ya know. My resting heart rate is around 138, most days. I have flatulence and a protruding colon. My asshole makes sounds that cause small earthquakes. Do you have a favorable policy available for me?"

Click. Problem gone. Fun had for free.

 

[gtx6970]

I received some a couple years ago. But none in past 12-16 months or so.

Same goes for my wifes 2016 Chrylser 200, dealer called a few times asking if I wanted to sell outright or trade in / upgrade.

 

[YY1]

Been going on for at least five years.

They also text.

We have two rentals currently valued at about 240,000 each.
We've been offered 150,000 in mailers.
Sometimes I reply to a text with "$600,000".
Some reply shocked. That's funny- I should seriously consider a low-***-ball offer, but you shouldn't seriously consider a high counter?
I've actually calculated that 10 years of rental income plus the value of the property at that time come out to about 600K.
The way "business" works, is if someone can make that happen sooner, then I might be interested.

Of course there's also all the "push-in" signs at the intersections "I buy houses fast CA$H".
...and for some reason all of them look like they were hand made with a sharpie.

They must be getting some, or there wouldn't be so many of them...and they wouldn't keep doing it.

 

[Hey-O]

I use to get calls and letters on properties I sold, but held the deed, like a bank. They wanted to buy the deeds. Help me out, they said. When they get hold of you, hold on, the screwings about to start and you're about to become, the screwy.

 

[YY1]

My wife has started asking them if they have any properties to sell us for 40% below market.

She's a good girl.

 

[hdwrench]

yes we do . wife just inherited a house in sunny florida. we live in ny . she started getting calls , texts and letters all most immediately wanting to buy the property. then i started getting the same even thou my name is not on anything related. funny thing is it’s not officially hers yet , has to go through the courts first . then her mother started getting same package! wtf , these people are relentless…..

 

[66/440]

I answer with the last 4 digits of my # and "What's your emergency?" always an automatic hangup!

 

[#41]

I guess the new thing now is that some of these are fishing calls to record your voice and then they are using it with AI to scam your relatives. Don't answer your phone unless it is a caller you know. If it is an unknown, keep your answers to "yes" and "no" or better yet just grunt until you hang up. Keep any answering message your have recorded very short, or better yet use the standard greeting.

This is real. It just happened to my neighbor last month. He actually went to the bank and withdrew bail money for his "daughter" who called him from "jail", and he only figured it was a scam when the person asked to meet him in a a grocery store parking lot to take the bail money. It was all recordings of her voice, as she was of course, not in jail. My neighbor said he was wary, but it sounded exactly like his daughter.

 

[YY1]

Don't answer "yes" to anything, not even to verify your name.

They record that, and then mix it with different questions to "prove" you agreed to pay for their "service" or "product".

 

[GetX'd]

I know about the here or coming onslaught of stealing your voice and using it for some illicit purpose - When I rarely do answer the call I don’t recognize I quickly grunt off a half hello - Then recently in thinking about it I realized - as someone noted above - that they can also steal your recorded greeting. I hadn’t thought of that until just the other day. I’d like to do some kind of phoney voice for my message …. Still working on “how to”. But in the meantime I’ve eliminated my voice greeting.

On a side note - on the advice of a friend I took a 1 year subscription with a company that promises to scrub your data from most data brokers lists. Data that is picked up about you in various ways - not the least of is the “Dark Webb”. So far there’s about 200 data brokers they’ve requested to scrub my info from w/a pretty high degree of success. I don’t know of by coincidence or not - but since they started my junk mail has gone up by 10 times or more than what I used to get. It’s impossible to block any longer because they use those random address programs. I hardly rec’d any junk mail prior - My friend has not had the same experience. I’d just like to crawl thru those junk companies IP pipelines and grab them by whatever hurts the most……

 

[YY1]

I've always just left the default VM message that is on there before you are supposed to change it.

If that's not an option, I just let it beep.

If a caller doesn't know to "leave a message after the beep" by now they are likely an idiot or a robot.

 

[j-c-c-62]

It seems like almost every day in recent months I get calls and texts asking if I want to sell my house. I know the housing market is tight right now with low inventory, but what is the point of these calls, do they ever actually find anyone who says yes?
And I live near Chicago, who wants to buy near here anyway?! Most everyone I know around here like me, wishes they could leave the state.
Anybody else getting these constant calls and texts?

Sorry, when they call me, I give them your number.