Competing Against Other Home Buyers? This is Why An Offer Letter can Help.
Not every home buyer has the luxury of putting down a high offer on the house of their dreams. They may have a solid offer with a good down payment and still have other buyers clamoring for a change to place a better offer.
Buyers should not be discouraged if they are not able to sweeten the deal with more money. Sometimes all that is needed is a well-worded real estate offer letter to win those homeowners over.
Make The Letter Unique
Plain letter formatting is going to look cut and dry to the homeowner. The homeowner may be getting multiple offer letters as they get more and more buyers interested in their home. Which is why handing over a letter that has unique formatting is a good way to grab their attention so they really take in what the letter says instead of skimming it and throwing it away.
About the House
Of course, a buyer who is taking the time to write an offer letter wants the house. Simply stating this fact is nothing new to a homeowner. They know their home is beautiful. So tell them exactly what is great about the home.
Whether it is the porch overlooking the numerous flowers or the fireplace where they will spend the evening, make the letter hit close to home. Personalizing the letter is what will help the homeowners feel connected to a buyer.
Make it Personal
The first step to writing a personal offer letter is to get to know the homeowners. Working with the real estate agent that is listing the house is a good way to gain information. Big areas to focus on are pets and children although sometimes hobbies and sports teams can be good areas to talk about. More often than not people love talking about their pets and children.
If the homeowners have a dog and two children the buyers should mention their own family. Talk about the wonderful fenced in yard that will make it safer for their children to play with their own pets. Or applaud the open layout of the home that makes it easier to care for younger children while working in the kitchen.
These personal touches will really get some homeowners attracted.
Avoid Email
Emailing a seller is a shot in the dark. At this time they are going to have dozens of emails flooding in. Many with keywords of ‘sale’, ‘home’, ‘offer letter’, ‘walk-through’ and many more buzzwords surrounding a home sale. They can easily skip over an email from a home buyer without even realizing it.
The best way to get their attention is to get them a hard copy of the letter. This can be done agent to agent or even by leaving the letter at the end of a house showing. Something to consider if leaving the letter in the house is to make sure the owners will get it. If another show is scheduled directly after a buyer runs the risk of the next buyer throwing the letter away to up their own chances.
Winning over a homeowner may not be easy. A home buyer will need to put in some work to gain the attention of a homeowner. But they can learn more about their family and hobbies. Putting personal touches into an offer letter is a great way to get a homeowner to want to sell to a buyer versus someone who has only provided an impersonal offer.