Using A Love Letter To Get Your Offer Accepted (Plus a Sample!)
The San Diego real estate market can get super competitive and when you’re up against multiple offers you will want to pull out all of the stops. While it’s tempting to think that all a seller cares about is their bottom line this just often is not the case. Many sellers have an emotional attachment to their home and really care about who will take over making memories in their beloved castle.
For that reason, we have found great success in attaching “love letters” to our offers. These are simple, one-page letters explaining who you are and why this home is the perfect fit for you. Here are the ingredients required for the perfect Real Estate Love Letter.
1. A photo of you
The cuter the better. People connect with smiling faces so pour on the cheese. Here is a good example of what not to use.
2. Use the owner’s name
Dear Mr. Smith sounds much better than “to whom it may concern”. Your agent should be able to get you this information with some digging.
Dear Johnson Family
3. Tell the Story
Tell your story in this format which is the ancient formula for great stories.
- A Character- You. Tell just a little bit about who you are, find a connection if possible (see number 4 below)
- Had a problem – Explain why you need a home in a way that conveys what problem you need to be solved
- Met a guide- In this case, the guide is the seller of the home. They have created a perfect solution (their house) for your problem. Focus on the seller as much as the house. Specifically talk about how their thoughtfulness, creativity, and insight is on display in the things you love about the house.
- Who led the to success- Imagine what your new, better life will be like in this home and explain that to the seller. This is your imagined happy ending.
My name is John Smith and I’m writing on behalf of my Brynne and our two kids Sara and Katie regarding our offer on your home. Brynne and I are SDSU alumni who have been living in the San Diego area for more than 20 years. Since marrying 8 years ago we have been bouncing from apartment to apartment saving up for a down payment on our first home. While we are thankful to have a roof over our head it has become increasingly challenging to live life with our growing family in 700 square feet! We are excited to settle into a place of our own and start making memories in a home that we will be in for more than a year or two.
We have been hunting for the perfect place for months and nothing has felt right. That is, until we found your home. The warm feeling you have created greeted us right as we walked in the front door and into your open foyer. We have been hoping to find a house that did not require lots of work just to move in and were so happy to see how well you have kept up your home (so many houses we have seen have been in terrible shape!). The new countertops you added are the perfect finishing touch to the open kitchen that I’m sure has hosted many family holidays.
Your house would be the perfect place for us to begin to build our lives together. Sarah and Katie are so excited to share the Jack and Jill bathroom and I know Brynne will be happy NOT to be sharing a bathroom with them! We are also SO excited about having a pool to cool off in during the summer months. The sun shelf is especially exciting for us because it gives Katie (2 years old) a place to splash and play in safety.
4. Find a connection
If possible weave in a connection you have with the seller. This could be similar interests, sports teams, etc. Use what you saw in the home (or maybe some facebook stalking) as possible avenues to connect. Do you have any mutual friends?
We couldn’t help but notice the photo of your family at the SDSU bowl game. We were at that same game and still fight to this day over who won! We are both alumni and die-hard fans!
5. Explain your offer
If you are making an offer below the asking price you may want to explain why. If not, then skip this step. Here is some language you might consider here.
Although your home was a bit out of our price range, we had to take a chance on an offer because it’s everything we want and is in a great neighborhood for our family. We know you’re asking X, but we respectfully ask if you would consider Y. It’s the top of our budget range, and our goal is to turn our dream into a reality without overextending ourselves.
I work as X, and my husband does Y. We have already have mortgage pre-approval and are flexible about the date for closing on the house. We so much want this to work out well for you, as well as for our family.
6. Thank them
Close with some simple language thanking them for considering your offer.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read this letter and review our offer. We hope to be able to work out a great solution that’s a big win for your family and ours. Please let us know if we can do anything to make this transition smoother or easier.
