"Please take our offer…"

please take our offerHomeowners with homes for sale in Northern Virginia have found that the housing climate has changed very quickly. Buyers, who still think it’s a buyer’s market have been surprised to find listing prices rising and they are missing their opportunity to buy the home they really want.

Multiple offers are increasingly more common for homeowners with homes for sale in Northern Virginia and buyers are frustrated when even a full-price offer doesn’t guarantee that they’re going to get the home. An emerging trend is buyers including a personal letter to the seller with their offer in an effort to add an emotional appeal and make the offer more personal.

Ideally, a seller wants maximum net proceeds, highest price, least amount of expenses and assurances that the sale will close on time no surprises. A seller looking at multiple offers with close to the same net might take into consideration an emotional appeal from the buyer. That is where the buyer’s letter becomes important.

Write a letter that gets right to the point but is relatively short. Make the tone humble while being positive. Do not mention that you might have lost other homes to multiple offers.

  1. Mention an important common feature of the home that is important to you and the seller.
  2. Don’t detail improvements you will need to make to justify your offer and don’t criticize the home in anyway.
  3. Do tell the seller why living in this home is important to you and your family.
  4. Give the seller assurance that you qualify for the loan and if they accept your offer, the sale will be consummated.

Once written, read the letter to your spouse or friend. Eliminate non-essential items. Check your spelling and grammar and polish your verbiage. If handwriting the letter isn’t easy to read, type and print it, but use stationary paper to appeal to their tactile senses. Always hand sign the letter. Submit the letter with your offer so they are received simultaneously.

As a buyer, you will be favorably positioned if you are pre-approved, have good credit, adequate financial resources, good employment, generous earnest money and a reasonable offer with minimal contingencies. Writing a personal letter might be the deciding factor in your favor.

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