Louis Gray, a tech blogger who works for Google and lives in Sunnyvale, says that being a homeowner in Silicon Valley tends to make a person a locus for attention.
“Like an A student in high school, recruited by all of the B-list colleges” Gray says on Twitter, speaking of the junk mail from realtors hoping to scoop his four-bedroom, two-bath home in the Las Palmas neighborhood.
Still, even Gray seemed a touch surprised when he discovered a handwritten note on his doorstep this week, one that temps with a multi-million dollar jackpot.
No, it wasn’t a ransom demand, it was an offer on his house, left by Rick Trevino, a Saratoga realtor. The missive reads in part:
I’m searching for a well-qualified buyer searching for a home in your neighborhood. Family has a 9th grader currently attending Fremont high school, so it’s important they remain in the area. They are qualified to purchase up to $2.5 million with 25 percent down and willing to accommodate seller’s needs with closing. If you or someone you know would be willing to meet to discuss an offer, let me know.
As Gray points out, the notice’s language seems tailored to give the impression of a $2.5 million offer on his home, but technically stops short of actually offering any particular figure.
“Our home is not worth $2.5 million,” Gray tells Curbed SF. “I see the mailer as being a lot like Jenga, where you push on a block and see which pieces are loose.”
Realtors send mailers to homeowners all the time, of course, hoping to coax the curious into cashing out.
The extra step of handwritten notes on the doorstep, however, seems perhaps a little too cozy for comfort, although Gray says he regarded it as simply a “unique piece of marketing material” and predicted that the extra touch probably nets Trevino a few calls.
Nobody at Trevino’s office was immediately available for comment. [Update: Trevino confirmed he did indeed leave the note and tells Curbed SF he left similar mash letters on other doorsteps.]
In any case, Gray says he and his family intend to stay. Guess it’s time for eager buyer’s agents to break out the stationary elsewhere.
You know it's a seller's market when realtors leave "hand written" notes promising buyers with $2.5m want in on your block. pic.twitter.com/1yXLnONBOC
— Louis Gray (@louisgray) May 2, 2017
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