A letter like this was left at the door of Fred Shore. (CBC) When Fred Shore saw the handwritten note left on his door his first thought was, "it's kind of amateurish."

The block lettering didn't work on him and a closer look showed the letter was not handwritten at all, but a photocopy.

Shore's reaction?

"I sent it to the recycling bin," he said.

The note's pitch was pretty simple, it read: "My name is Jeff and my partners [sic] name is Amy. We noticed your property are you selling? For a fast close, a cash offer, and a fair price. Give us a call."

"It's kind of peculiar. If you're actually going to buy houses you'd have enough money to buy a pamphlet," said Shore.

"Just all sorts of flags went off, bells and whistles."

Fred Shore said a letter left in his mailbox asking to buy his house set off red flags. (CBC) He said he worried calling the number might "get me involved in some weird selling process where I never get my money."

Leaving letters on doorsteps can be an effective way of reaching homeowners willing to sell their properties in the private market, said contractor and real estate investor, Brett Schreyer.

Schreyer himself said he uses the tactic to stir up potential sellers — he renovates properties and resells them for a profit.

"I just get creative and try and find ways that I can help the homeowner and maybe find a fixer-upper project," said Schreyer.

"What we do is we help the homeowner …. We don't need property disclosure statements we buy homes as is."

Schreyer said house flipping works for all the parties involved. He makes money off the resale and an owner can offload a property they can't afford to fix up.

He said he doesn't try to target people who may need fast cash but otherwise, have homes in good condition.

Brett Schreyer said he leaves notes asking if owners are looking to sell their homes as part of his house-flipping business. (CBC) "It's not a scam. Call the number, have a conversation, see if there's some way we could work something out," Schreyer said.

The Manitoba Securities Commission (real estate division) says it's aware of tactics like those used by house flippers. It encourages homeowners to consult a professional, like a realtor or a lawyer before selling their homes.