First, I heard about The Letter at a soccer game from one of the dads. Then I received one myself. In my wanderings around town, a couple of more people mentioned The Letter. Next, I got an email about The Letter. Looks like a trend, I mused. May as well post about it.

The missive showed up in mailboxes from a potential home buyer who wrote expressing interest in buying some ever-coveted Wellesley real estate. Ours read, “My wife and I are looking to purchase a home in Wellesley and your property…meets the criteria of our search. Do you have any interest in selling? We are making the move to the suburbs from the city and are looking to become a part of the Wellesley community and the excellent public school system. With limited options on the market, we are trying the less conventional approach of sending a letter.” The writer includes his signature and contact information.

A quick google search revealed that the writer is a Boston real estate professional, and a phone call from us to the Wellesley Police revealed that there have been no complaints about the letter. Our able police force followed up our phone call to them with a call directly to the home-seeker and report that his quest is entirely on the up-and-up, no whiff of scam to it at all. In fact, he told police that his letter has generated a solid lead and he is in the process of following up.

To the letter writer, I write back, “We hope your search for a home in town is successful, and that we will be welcoming you to Wellesley soon. As you may now suspect, not much goes on in this town, so anything out of the ordinary gets, well, scrutinized. You must decide for yourself whether that is a plus or a minus to living here in the bubble, as some (affectionately?) call Wellesley. We hope you can get used to us.”