Stupid question

[CCL]

Jun 8, 2023 10:35:56 GMT -5 minnesotapaintlady said:

Jun 8, 2023 9:53:51 GMT -5 Tiny said:

Of all the 55+ yo people I know who have either both a second home (near their kids) or who have moved to their "retirement home" none of them have purchased a smaller home - usually it's a BIGGER home.
I think in another 10 or 15 years there will be more family sized homes on the market as the current crop of retiring Boomers die off.

Same. The boomers have not been downsizing as predicted.  My mom and stepdad built a house at least twice the size of the one that had 3 kids in it when they were in their mid 50's.  Then just last year in their mid-70's my Dad and stepmom did the same (although it's a townhouse with no yard, but the house itself is 1000 sf bigger than their old 4 br 3 bath. 

We downsized. Once the kids moved out, we had 5 rooms too many that we never used at all: 3 bedrooms, a living room, and a dining room + a spare bathroom. I'm just too cheap to keep paying for something I'm not using at all.

[CCL]

Jun 8, 2023 13:05:16 GMT -5 anciana said:

Jun 8, 2023 12:55:22 GMT -5 wvugurl26 said:

I was hoping 7% interest rates would bring prices back down to reality but apparently people here have cash money.

Some years back when people started getting pushed out by cash offers, I heard stories how a new industry branch developed. People would take out a loan, or cash out their 401(k) to get the cash to buy a house with a much preferred cash offer. Then, they would close really quickly, turn around to get a regular mortgage and just pay the money back into the 401(k). There was some trick in returning the money so quickly that there was just a smallish fee that they ended up paying instead of all the usual associated taxes and fees. That’s how so many people were able to put a cash offer in without the actual cash, or so I heard.

I read something about that, too, but still, $600k-$700k is a lot of money to have in your 401k. I'm sure some folks have it, but I'll bet the majority of buyers don't. People around here seem to be getting financial help from their families.

[Opti]

Jun 8, 2023 11:54:14 GMT -5 Cheesy FL-Vol said:

Jun 8, 2023 10:47:28 GMT -5 @pooks said:

To me it seems to be a confluence of many things, that have really messed up the housing market.  

Inflation.  When inflation started to go up, Labor and materials to build a house went way up with it.  As inflation went up, money started moving into real estate as a hedge against inflation.

Interest rates.  Interest rates going to all time lows, made it so borrowers could afford the higher price and started to bidding up houses.

Supply. There weren't enough houses built after the 2008 crash.  At the same time household size is getting smaller and the largest generation is hitting home buying age.  The boomers aren't moving out of their homes and are instead buying second homes.  Now people aren't selling and giving up their 2% interest rate.  

Rentals.  A lot of homes that would be available have been converted to rentals.  Some as short term air bnb's, which don't contribute to the housing supply at all.  Corporations have also started buying single family homes to use as rentals. 

I agree with pooks. I am a bit confused on the pricing though. We bought ours summer 2020 at 188k (3/2 with 2-car basement garage 10 year old house w/5 acres). 6 months ago, the real estate sites were valuing it at around 360k. I was just looking around the area this weekend and the sites are now valuing at around 290k. I checked a house a couple miles from here built in the 40s, a 3/1 on 10 acres, and they are asking almost 600k. I am scratching my head wondering who is buying with interest rates so high.

The last home I bought was sold during the credit crisis, I think early 2007 but it might have been early 2008, I no longer remember. Builders and flippers will buy homes, rehab them or even tear them down and build something bigger. The latter happened to my property and is super common in NJ towns with very little land left to buy. The result is the higher end home stock grows and the lower end to middle income stock shrinks.

Some foreigners buy them as rental properties or for their portfolio of RE. 

[tractor]

My sister paid $200k for an 1100 square ft house in Oregon 15 years ago. She's now moving back home and sold the same house for $695k within 7-days of listing last month.

She now has enough cash to buy another house ( bought one for $250k) here in Michigan and is going to use the extra cash to retire at 51. There are significant advantages to moving from a high cost of living to a low cost of living area. I doubt prices will drop much, but hopefully they will stabilize for a few years (?)

[chiver78]

Jun 8, 2023 14:58:23 GMT -5 Tiny said:

We may be entering into the phase where lenders start getting creative to get buyers into a mortgage/house.

I'm hearing about more adjustable rate mortgages being written. I'm not sure what the down payment requirements are for those.

I'm not sure how "risky" these mortgages will be in the long term. Or how much people are stretching to take on the adjustable mortgage.


FWIW:  7% mortgage rates aren't that outrageous -  historically mortgages were in the 5 to 6% range.   The 5 or 6 years of 3% or less mortgages is the out of the ordinary.     

I'm younger than a lot on this board, but I'll say that my very first mortgage was 7% (2002) and my new car loan wasn't far off. I got a half percent off the top of the rate b/c my mom co-signed on it. that was the last thing she ever co-signed for me. 

[azucena]

Stl, bought our house in 2017 for $370k, $20k over asking in bidding war. No regrets.

Just got our tax assessment saying it's worth $477k so our tax will go from $4k to $5k. DH wants to appeal. I'm not sure it's worth the effort as rumor mill says they almost never change it.

For two of the comps, they used two of the four brand new houses down the street that went for $550k each. McMansion style taking up whole traditional lot. Way too much house for this neighborhood. Used to be common ground but developer approached HOA and made them an offer.

[jerseygirl]

Jun 8, 2023 20:16:43 GMT -5 azucena said:

Stl, bought our house in 2017 for $370k, $20k over asking in bidding war. No regrets.

Just got our tax assessment saying it's worth $477k so our tax will go from $4k to $5k. DH wants to appeal. I'm not sure it's worth the effort as rumor mill says they almost never change it.

For two of the comps, they used two of the four brand new houses down the street that went for $550k each. McMansion style taking up whole traditional lot. Way too much house for this neighborhood. Used to be common ground but developer approached HOA and made them an offer.

Definitely challenge the assessment especially since 2 comps are clearly inappropriate

[giramomma]

The worth of our house has just about doubled in the 13 years we've been here. We paid 220, and it's just about at 400K.

It is so crazy.  Low interest rates, combined with higher equity in previous homes. And, there's no more homes in our neighborhood for sale. I think like 2 or 3 went up this year.

What gets me is that houses in a town I'd love to have a vacation home in have tripled in less than 3 years. We went there as a vacation in 2021. Houses could be had for 50K. Now they are going for minimally 150K.

I regret not buying a house in cash back then.

I attribute that to WFH.

They are building a ton of apartments around me. Which is great if you are a DINK or have one kid, as the apartments are generally studios-2 bedroom.

6 people in a four bedroom, 1800 sq foot home is tight enough.. I can't imagine trying to do 6 people in a two bedroom apartment.

[lurkyloo]

I think there are a lot of investors who can pay cash and then rent the houses out.  Just more competition for the same starter-home inventory.

We paid just under 600K for our CA home, which zillow has at over a million right now; property taxes not allowed to increase more than 2% a year though we did get hit with a city...assessment?  some kind of increase to cover roadwork anyway.  Current house was also a tad under 600K and hasn’t appreciated as much but up at least 200K.  No plans to sell either one.

One of my favorite hobbies on vacation is toying with the idea of buying real estate wherever we visit.  But having just picked up three additional pieces of RE via inheritance it’s harder to willingly suspend disbelief. 

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

My sister said that several houses in our neighborhood have sold very quickly, for over asking price.  These are $1M+ houses, so someone has this kind of money.  She said that a few houses never even hit the listings, they got contracts on them without going public.  

The weird thing about this development is that there are even a few mobile homes on lots…..some in not great shape, but these were out there when the road went in, and land was cheaper.  I suspect a few of these places that have mobile homes on them will go for $400k+, just for the property they are on.  

Part of the problem we have is 2 fold.  The town has instituted curbs on building multiple homes on large pieces of property (multiple acres) and have banned times of the year that earth can be moved.  Add to this that we are locked in by mountains and ocean, and there aren’t many directions to go.  That means that available land goes for a premium.  

TD’s house is worth about 5x what he bought it for 25 years ago.  The adjacent land he owns, even more.  He bought the land for $25k, and last appraisal it was $500k.  This is undeveloped land, that would need to be cleared, graded and utilities brought in.  

[Cookies Galore]

We bought our house for $181,400 in 2016, right before everyone would catch on that our town is the next "it" up-and-coming town. We could easily get $300,000 for it today, though there is no way in hell we'd want buy anything at that price if we sold.
We refinanced in 2020 and have a 3% rate; with escrow included our monthly payment is a little over $1,000, which is just insanely awesome. I'd be stupid to trade that for a 6-7% loan on a more expensive house. I imagine that's a huge reason for housing shortages; people are too smart to give up a good mortgage. There's no such thing as affordable housing anymore.

[Opti]

Jun 9, 2023 8:04:33 GMT -5 giramomma said:

The worth of our house has just about doubled in the 13 years we've been here. We paid 220, and it's just about at 400K.

It is so crazy.  Low interest rates, combined with higher equity in previous homes. And, there's no more homes in our neighborhood for sale. I think like 2 or 3 went up this year.

What gets me is that houses in a town I'd love to have a vacation home in have tripled in less than 3 years. We went there as a vacation in 2021. Houses could be had for 50K. Now they are going for minimally 150K.

I regret not buying a house in cash back then.

I attribute that to WFH.

They are building a ton of apartments around me. Which is great if you are a DINK or have one kid, as the apartments are generally studios-2 bedroom.

6 people in a four bedroom, 1800 sq foot home is tight enough.. I can't imagine trying to do 6 people in a two bedroom apartment.

You might be surprised at how many complexes being built in NJ are strictly two and three bedroom apts. They are usually also luxury builds although it happens with affordable housing as well. Finding and landing an affordable one bedrm apt is close to a real unicorn. I've seen them as low as a literal one one bedroom apt and the rest 2s and 3s. 

[tskeeter]

Jun 9, 2023 8:04:33 GMT -5 giramomma said:

The worth of our house has just about doubled in the 13 years we've been here. We paid 220, and it's just about at 400K.

It is so crazy.  Low interest rates, combined with higher equity in previous homes. And, there's no more homes in our neighborhood for sale. I think like 2 or 3 went up this year.

What gets me is that houses in a town I'd love to have a vacation home in have tripled in less than 3 years. We went there as a vacation in 2021. Houses could be had for 50K. Now they are going for minimally 150K.

I regret not buying a house in cash back then.

I attribute that to WFH.

They are building a ton of apartments around me. Which is great if you are a DINK or have one kid, as the apartments are generally studios-2 bedroom.

6 people in a four bedroom, 1800 sq foot home is tight enough.. I can't imagine trying to do 6 people in a two bedroom apartment.

Looks like your house has appreciated about 10% a year.  That’s way more than long term averages, which run in the 2% - 3% range.  But, I don’t think you can attribute your bigger than normal appreciation in the value of your house to home price inflation.

You bought your house in 2010, or there abouts.   That was pretty close to the bottom of the housing collapse.  Between late 2009 and 2012, the value of many homes (including ours) dropped by about 50%.  This allowed you to buy what was essentially a $440K house for the bargain basement price of $220K.  (It took 13 years for the taxable value of our house to return to pre-2010 levels.)  In this context, I view the outsized gains you have enjoyed as largely the result of economic recovery rather then what I think of as inflation.

[tallguy]

Jun 15, 2023 13:09:39 GMT -5 tskeeter said:

Jun 9, 2023 8:04:33 GMT -5 giramomma said:

The worth of our house has just about doubled in the 13 years we've been here. We paid 220, and it's just about at 400K.

It is so crazy.  Low interest rates, combined with higher equity in previous homes. And, there's no more homes in our neighborhood for sale. I think like 2 or 3 went up this year.

What gets me is that houses in a town I'd love to have a vacation home in have tripled in less than 3 years. We went there as a vacation in 2021. Houses could be had for 50K. Now they are going for minimally 150K.

I regret not buying a house in cash back then.

I attribute that to WFH.

They are building a ton of apartments around me. Which is great if you are a DINK or have one kid, as the apartments are generally studios-2 bedroom.

6 people in a four bedroom, 1800 sq foot home is tight enough.. I can't imagine trying to do 6 people in a two bedroom apartment.

Looks like your house has appreciated about 10% a year.  That’s way more than long term averages, which run in the 2% - 3% range.  But, I don’t think you can attribute your bigger than normal appreciation in the value of your house to home price inflation.

You bought your house in 2010, or there abouts.   That was pretty close to the bottom of the housing collapse.  Between late 2009 and 2012, the value of many homes (including ours) dropped by about 50%.  This allowed you to buy what was essentially a $440K house for the bargain basement price of $220K.  (It took 13 years for the taxable value of our house to return to pre-2010 levels.)  In this context, I view the outsized gains you have enjoyed as largely the result of economic recovery rather then what I think of as inflation.

If you are referring to the house going from 220k to 400k in 13 years, that is nowhere near 10%.  If it had actually doubled in 13 years it would be around 5.5%.  Given that the actual appreciation is less, it would likely be somewhere between 4 and 5% over the period.

[TheOtherMe]

I bought my house in 2009 for $146,000.  Zillow says it's worth $262,400.  Latest assessment (this year) is for $239,000.  

Just checked and the other assessments on my street are all close to mine.

[tskeeter]

Jun 15, 2023 13:34:59 GMT -5 tallguy said:

Jun 15, 2023 13:09:39 GMT -5 tskeeter said:

Looks like your house has appreciated about 10% a year.  That’s way more than long term averages, which run in the 2% - 3% range.  But, I don’t think you can attribute your bigger than normal appreciation in the value of your house to home price inflation.

You bought your house in 2010, or there abouts.   That was pretty close to the bottom of the housing collapse.  Between late 2009 and 2012, the value of many homes (including ours) dropped by about 50%.  This allowed you to buy what was essentially a $440K house for the bargain basement price of $220K.  (It took 13 years for the taxable value of our house to return to pre-2010 levels.)  In this context, I view the outsized gains you have enjoyed as largely the result of economic recovery rather then what I think of as inflation.

If you are referring to the house going from 220k to 400k in 13 years, that is nowhere near 10%.  If it had actually doubled in 13 years it would be around 5.5%.  Given that the actual appreciation is less, it would likely be somewhere between 4 and 5% over the period.

You’re right.  I misapplied the rule of 72.  My goof.

[wvugurl26]

The real estate agent was in to get a look at my grandma's house and start her write up. It'll go on the market after July 4th. She's been working in the area as a realtor for 30 years. She told me dad she's never seen so many cash offers in her career.

She said the cash is coming from people who pulled money from the market and it in real estate. I guess that's one theory people diversifying their holdings.

[bookkeeper]

We diversified.  We took 70K out of our Roth 401k and bought a house by our grandkids.  Got a $200,000 mortgage at 3.5%.  I look at it as a sure thing.  I have been watching real estate in this town since DS bought his house in 2014.  Values have appreciated 5% year in and year out.  I figured that was better than a CD because I get to stay there.

We have owned the house a year now and I like it every time I drive up.  I think real estate is a nice hedge against inflation.  This mortgage and a car payment at 2.6% is the only debt we have.

[CCL]

Jun 15, 2023 15:27:46 GMT -5 wvugurl26 said:

The real estate agent was in to get a look at my grandma's house and start her write up. It'll go on the market after July 4th. She's been working in the area as a realtor for 30 years. She told me dad she's never seen so many cash offers in her career.

She said the cash is coming from people who pulled money from the market and it in real estate. I guess that's one theory people diversifying their holdings.

Then what? Turn them into rentals?

[Opti]

Jun 15, 2023 15:27:46 GMT -5 wvugurl26 said:

The real estate agent was in to get a look at my grandma's house and start her write up. It'll go on the market after July 4th. She's been working in the area as a realtor for 30 years. She told me dad she's never seen so many cash offers in her career.

She said the cash is coming from people who pulled money from the market and it in real estate. I guess that's one theory people diversifying their holdings.

Cash offers are usually investors. Because the Fed paused interest rate increases some folks might think investing in real estate is smart. I'd wait. I think a crash is coming, the question is when. The all these Air Bnbers will be dumping their properties along with others.

Travel is up. Return to hotels and more usual places will likely follow. Parts of the Air BnB and similar market will die. MO. Of course if its attractive as a rental right away, it might be a smart move even if housing prices and rental prices go down in the next three years.

[jerseygirl]

DD and SIL have 3 condos and 1 huge Victorian for Air B&B. They’re selling one condo this month and renting another full time. AB&B became too popular and now not as profitable. The Victorian still rents well for family reunions, weddings and school outings. They also dropped plans to build 4 tiny homes for rent
They live in a ski resort area

[CCL]

I don't see a crash coming. Not around here, anyway. My area just keeps growing. People really want this school system. Of course, I knew that and that's why I bought a house here.

[thyme4change]

We just went down the street (like 7 houses down from us) to an open house. It is a flip - bought in January 2022 for 600k. For sale now - all new and shiny. Asking $1.25 Million! 3 bedrooms, but 2100 square feet. We bought in 2001 for 200k. Our house is smaller and not perfectly shiny, although we have updated everything over the years. So, we aren’t worth $1M - but we must be inching up there.

There is another house up the street that sold for a million. It is 3200 square feet and had been renovated in the past few years. That is one of the very few properties in my neighborhood that was sold from one occupant family to the next occupant. Almost every house gets passed through someone who add square footage, update and upgrade. It is crazy.

I was talking with the agent, who also lives on our street and we socialize occasionally. He said there is still a lack of inventory, so houses are selling quick.

[bean29]

Jun 8, 2023 17:16:07 GMT -5 Pink Cashmere said:

Jun 8, 2023 12:44:39 GMT -5 anciana said:

The way things are going with salaries not keeping up with the cost of living, housing is just going to be harder to get. If things keep up this way, our kids might never be able to afford to buy a house or rent a decent place.

This is something I think about. I feel like home ownership is important, and people that want it should be able to have it, but now I worry that my children and Mister’s children might not be able to do that. So even though my first house has become a PITA, I feel more strongly now, than ever, about keeping it for my children to inherit. If Mister and I do ever move from this house, I would like for us to try to keep this one too, for his children.

I don’t see how the current housing market is sustainable for this area. The city is a poor city. My salary is more than the median household income for the whole county, but today, I’d be in trouble trying to find a house I could afford, somewhere I felt halfway safe living. We bought this house in the summer of 2019, and on paper, I could’ve bought it by myself at the time, even though it would’ve been way beyond my comfort zone. Less than 2 years later, and still today, I absolutely could not buy this same house by myself, even if I wanted to. The “value” according to Zillow, increased over $100k in less than 2 years. Even if Zillow is off the mark by some 10’s of thousands of dollars, I still couldn’t afford it.

Until the last few years, housing was fairly inexpensive here. And now it’s crazy. A large part of the problem Imo, is “investors”. I ASSume this area became attractive to investors because even if they paid more than the asking price for a house here, it was still less than what the same house would cost in many other parts of the country. Regular people can’t compete with “investors” that are willing to pay a premium and with cash, so buying a home has become very difficult for people that don’t have substantial income, when it’s not been like that here historically. There was a news story recently about how a whole section of the city has become mostly rental properties because of investors. And when they buy these houses, they charge a ridiculous amount of rent, so everything has just really gotten out of hand.

My first house is in the price range that investors are really interested in. I constantly get texts asking about the property, several texts a week. And a couple of them have had the nerve to get testy because I don’t respond to their texts, like I owe them something, which makes me want to cuss them out, but I don’t. The phone calls about the same are one of the reasons I do NOT answer calls from unknown numbers, I’m tired of cutting people off and saying no I do not want to sell my house.

I feel the same way, DS bought his grandparent's duplex about 2 years ago.  It is a good place for him to be single.  Would be fine for a starter home too, but his SO also owns a single family home.  Both their houses are in "Starter" neighborhoods.  I think if they get married (looks like they are discussing it) they will move into her house.  I don't want DS to sell the duplex yet, but it is really not up to me.  He got a State backed First Time Home Buyer loan, and he is supposed to live there 7 years to keep the mortgage.  Idk if they would catch him, they could easily just verfify if he was taking the State Homestead Credit for the Property Tax bill or not.  We gave DS $30,000 for the downpayment.  I feel like we should do something similar for our daughter, but what can if do to make it fair.  I can invest $30,000 in the stock market, but the stock market does not seem to be generating the same kind of returns as RE.  We own two Commercial Properties, one is mixed use (has a lower office unit, and a 2 bedroom flat upstairs) the other is just an office (DH's insurance agency).  We could maybe sell the Mixed use property and buy a SF rental house, but my DD is not staying in the area.  She interviewed again for a job at MSP yesterday, and hopefully will have a chance at a job in Miami soon too.  If she gets that job, she will probably move every few years.  

I also get the Invester texts for our buildings.  I have replied a few times, you realize this is a commercial property, right? The one building has no kitchen an no shower.  It is a fine investment, but I don't think it is the kind of investment that will generate a flipper big returns.  I have decided the best thing is to just ignore the texts.  I am thinking we should put the buildings in a trust leave them to the kids.

[laterbloomer]

How do they get your phone number?

[TheOtherMe]

Google or they can buy lists

[Pink Cashmere]

Jun 16, 2023 19:41:04 GMT -5 laterbloomer said:

How do they get your phone number?

Here, it’s public record who owns a property. Once they have a name, they can find the phone number on the Internet, often for free. I can find a lot of info about a person using Google, and even more info if I’m willing to pay for it.

Mister gets calls and texts from investors about his parents’ house, because he and his Dad have the same name. What’s kind of interesting to me is that he doesn’t get as many calls and texts as I do about my house. His parents’ house is “worth” a bit more than mine. But nobody calls or texts about the house we live in, which is “worth” more than both of those houses combined. Which to me, confirms what I’ve read about houses like mine being in the sweet spot of being the most desirable as far as cost…… for the average person that works and lives in a poor city, and investors. 

With the crazy increases in rent prices recently, most people that could afford to rent the house I live in, could afford to buy a nice house and pay less for a mortgage payment. 

I personally know someone who recently renewed a lease on an apartment, and the rent went from almost $1600/month to $2100/month with the new lease. They are looking into having a house built, because renting has become so expensive.

[Opti]

Jun 16, 2023 22:06:49 GMT -5 Pink Cashmere said:

Jun 16, 2023 19:41:04 GMT -5 laterbloomer said:

How do they get your phone number?

Here, it’s public record who owns a property. Once they have a name, they can find the phone number on the Internet, often for free. I can find a lot of info about a person using Google, and even more info if I’m willing to pay for it.

Mister gets calls and texts from investors about his parents’ house, because he and his Dad have the same name. What’s kind of interesting to me is that he doesn’t get as many calls and texts as I do about my house. His parents’ house is “worth” a bit more than mine. But nobody calls or texts about the house we live in, which is “worth” more than both of those houses combined. Which to me, confirms what I’ve read about houses like mine being in the sweet spot of being the most desirable as far as cost…… for the average person that works and lives in a poor city, and investors. 

With the crazy increases in rent prices recently, most people that could afford to rent the house I live in, could afford to buy a nice house and pay less for a mortgage payment. 

I personally know someone who recently renewed a lease on an apartment, and the rent went from almost $1600/month to $2100/month with the new lease. They are looking into having a house built, because renting has become so expensive.

Wow, that's a 30+% increase, which is like Florida rents last year. I thought mine was bad, and it is, but that's crazy. 

[Pink Cashmere]

Jun 16, 2023 22:12:45 GMT -5 Opti said:

Jun 16, 2023 22:06:49 GMT -5 Pink Cashmere said:

Here, it’s public record who owns a property. Once they have a name, they can find the phone number on the Internet, often for free. I can find a lot of info about a person using Google, and even more info if I’m willing to pay for it.

Mister gets calls and texts from investors about his parents’ house, because he and his Dad have the same name. What’s kind of interesting to me is that he doesn’t get as many calls and texts as I do about my house. His parents’ house is “worth” a bit more than mine. But nobody calls or texts about the house we live in, which is “worth” more than both of those houses combined. Which to me, confirms what I’ve read about houses like mine being in the sweet spot of being the most desirable as far as cost…… for the average person that works and lives in a poor city, and investors. 

With the crazy increases in rent prices recently, most people that could afford to rent the house I live in, could afford to buy a nice house and pay less for a mortgage payment. 

I personally know someone who recently renewed a lease on an apartment, and the rent went from almost $1600/month to $2100/month with the new lease. They are looking into having a house built, because renting has become so expensive.

Wow, that's a 30+% increase, which is like Florida rents last year. I thought mine was bad, and it is, but that's crazy. 

I thought it was crazy too. 

I expressed concern when I was told that a lot of people had moved out, and there were a lot of empty apartments. This person is a single female. She asked why I thought it was a concern and I didn’t have a good answer other than I felt like a lot of empty apartments are an invitation for trouble, and I still couldn’t really explain why I felt like that.

[Opti]

My first house is in the price range that investors are really interested in. I constantly get texts asking about the property, several texts a week. And a couple of them have had the nerve to get testy because I don’t respond to their texts, like I owe them something, which makes me want to cuss them out, but I don’t. The phone calls about the same are one of the reasons I do NOT answer calls from unknown numbers, I’m tired of cutting people off and saying no I do not want to sell my house.

IMO if you get texts or phone calls regarding a property, it is generally scammers, not real investors. There are several scams involving real estate and they usually target properties they believe an elderly person lives there. Assuming they are more likely to give up some information. Scammers can pretend to be a homeowner and take out mortgages against the property. There's something too about title fraud which I am not remembering at this time. Someone who actually wants to buy properties will already know about it, and they are usually targeting people who are likely to sell, those in financial distress including those in medical situations that may have to sell quickly. That's why Pink your house and Mister's dad's home would be targeted. Your mom who is not always tethered to reality and Mister's dad would make perfect targets for both scammers and some legit investors. The latter though are not going to text you over and over again. They'll move on to greener pastures quickly.

Scammers want you to engage, which is why you should not answer their texts. Ignore, block, delete, whatever. If you answer, it just confirms you will engage and your number might be sold to others as a potential scam victim.