I'm looking for one home.In the Rivertowns.
Not as an investor.Not as a landlord.To live in with my family.
I'd be the person living in your house — not an agent, and not an investor buying it to resell.
Loyan Mensah
Why I'm writing
I need to be in this specific part of Westchester for family reasons — my children are here, and I need to be close to them. That isn't something I can solve by widening my search to another county.
I've been looking for about fourteen months. In that time I've walked through most of what has come up for sale between Hastings and Ossining.
What's listed either doesn't fit what my family needs, or it sells in a weekend to someone waiving everything. It's been a slow, unglamorous search.
So I stopped waiting for listings and started writing to owners directly. If you own a house here and you've been thinking about selling, I'd rather hear it from you than read about it later.
What I do, and why it matters to you
I work in accounting. Reading closing statements, payoff letters, and tax records is ordinary work for me — the kind of thing I do on a normal Tuesday.
That's useful to you, not to me. I know how hard it is to get a straight answer out of a servicer or a county office, how long a payoff letter takes to arrive, and how confusing a reinstatement quote can look. If you want, I'll sit down and read your paperwork with you and tell you plainly what it says — whether or not you ever sell me anything.
I own a couple of rental properties, so I've been through closings before. I mention that for one reason only: I know what it takes to actually close. I won't tie your house up for two months and then come back asking for a discount.
To be clear about my status: I am not a licensed real estate broker or salesperson. I'm buying for myself.
Three ways to sell
| Category | List with an agent | Sell to an investor | Sell to me |
|---|---|---|---|
| Likely price | Closest to full market, if the house shows well | Market value minus their repair budget and their profit margin | Between the two, and I'll show you how I got there |
| Commission | Typically 5%, paid by you | None | None |
| Closing costs | Your usual seller costs | Often covered by the buyer | I pay my own; we can talk about yours |
| Repairs before closing | Usually expected, plus inspection repair requests | None | None |
| Showings and open houses | Ongoing, on the buyer's schedule | One or two walkthroughs | One walkthrough, with me |
| Timeline | Two to four months, sometimes longer | Two to four weeks | Your timeline — fast if you need it, months out if you'd rather |
| Who you deal with | An agent, then a buyer you never meet | An acquisitions rep, then whoever they assign it to | Me, start to finish |
The fee math, on a number that's realistic here: at $750,000 in Dobbs Ferry, a 5% commission is $37,500. That comes out of your proceeds before anything else does. Whether that's worth paying depends entirely on your house and your situation — sometimes it plainly is.
Why sell directly to me?
An investor has to resell the house. That means they need a margin between what they pay and what they can get later, and that margin comes out of your price.
I'm not reselling. I'm moving in. So the ceiling on what makes sense for me sits higher than it does for someone who needs the house to turn a profit. It may not be higher in every case, and I won't pretend otherwise — but it can be.
There's also no commission on my side of the table.
If you owe close to what the house is worth
Owing nearly as much as the house is worth doesn't automatically mean nothing can be done. It does mean the situation is slower and more complicated than a simple sale.
Those conversations usually need attorneys on both sides, and they take time. If I look at your numbers and don't see a way through, I'll tell you that honestly and quickly rather than keep you waiting.
I can usually work with
- Back taxes and liens
- Open permits and violations
- Tenants in place
- Estate and probate situations
- Deferred maintenance and major systems
- Clean-out situations
- Title clouds and heirship issues
- Homes that won't pass a standard inspection
What happens after you call
- 1A 15-minute call with me about the house and what you're up against.
- 2I walk the house myself — no contractors or inspectors paraded through.
- 3A written number, with the math shown so you can check it.
- 4Closing on your timeline — your date, not mine, whether that's three weeks or five months.
You will speak with me. Not an assistant, not a call center.
This probably isn't a fit if
- Your house is outside the villages listed below. I can't stretch the area.
- Your house is in good condition and you want full retail price. An agent will do better for you than I can, and you should call one.
- You aren't ready to make a decision in the next few months. I'd rather you reach out when you are.
- You want me to represent you as your agent. I can't and won't — I'm the buyer, and my interests are my own.
- You want an all-cash number sight unseen, this week, without me walking the house. I won't give a number I can't stand behind.
- You're comparing written offers from several buyers and taking the highest one. That's a reasonable way to sell, and it isn't the conversation I'm asking for.
If any of that describes you, I'd rather say so now than waste a few weeks of your time.
Where I'm looking
- Dobbs Ferry
- Irvington
- Hastings-on-Hudson
- Ardsley
- Tarrytown
- Sleepy Hollow
- Briarcliff Manor
- Ossining
They're all a short walk from the Hudson Line and the river, which is what makes the daily logistics of my family's life work at all.
Tell me about your house
914-587-9940Call or text — the number is text-enabled. Or email loyan@homeforloyan.com.
I respond personally, usually the same day. Reaching out commits you to nothing.
If it's easier, I'm glad to come by and meet you at the house first, before we talk about anything.