We wrote a letter and included a picture of our family (realtor recommended it). We got the house and the seller gushed over it at closing. Agree it depends on the type of seller.

Anonymous wrote:We did this for a house and the seller's agent said they just didn't care (they were a family similar to ours and we wrote that we'd care for the home and raise our kids there, etc). They just wanted the most money they could get.

Later won a bid on a much nicer house and didn't bother with a letter. But our agent had told their agent we were a young family and would be raising kids there and loving the house -- the sellers told us that had meant a lot. So I personally don't think letters matter as much as a good word put in by your agent, but that was just my experience.

If I had to sell our home I would not even open letters from prospective buyers. our house is our biggest asset and we would look for the highest price from the most solid buyer. I would find a buyer who writes such a letter a little naïf. when we bought our home, the sellers had lived there over 50 years (estate sale sold by the kids after the last parent died). the house was very well taken care of and clearly well loved. our agent told the seller's agent that we were a family with two little kids looking for our forever home and at closing the seller told us that they were very happy that the house was going to be sold to us because we were a family similar to theirs when they bought it over 50 years ago. but we also were solid buyers with a good down-payment and an offer that reflected the market.

Anonymous wrote:It's business, sell too low and you disgrace the neighborhood

Contradictory statements.

It's business, sell too low and you disgrace the neighborhood

It's cool to hear this approach has worked for people! I'd be looking for the most money we could get.

Anonymous wrote:It depends on who is selling. A flipper does not care. A family who raised thier kids there and improved the house might care. You can see how long they have owned, that might give an idea.

Also the conditions under which they are selling can make a difference too.

If they are emotionally attached to the house and selling due to things out of their control such as moving to assisted living, unable to afford the house any more, etc they might be swayed by a letter.

It depends on who is selling. A flipper does not care. A family who raised thier kids there and improved the house might care. You can see how long they have owned, that might give an idea.

We did this for a house and the seller's agent said they just didn't care (they were a family similar to ours and we wrote that we'd care for the home and raise our kids there, etc). They just wanted the most money they could get.

Later won a bid on a much nicer house and didn't bother with a letter. But our agent had told their agent we were a young family and would be raising kids there and loving the house -- the sellers told us that had meant a lot. So I personally don't think letters matter as much as a good word put in by your agent, but that was just my experience.

We wrote a letter to the sellers of our house, but his was in late 2006 (not so hot) and we were biddiug low, not trying to outbid someone else. We really couldn't afford the house at full price, so we wrote a letter saying how much we loved it, how we looked forward to raising our kids there ( I was pregnant), and that they didn't need to clean out the minimal ancient furniture or make any fixes for us. We got it for 50kunder asking, which was more than 10%. Oh and we love the sellers and send them occasional cards and even had them over for tea.

Lame, probably someone who hates new normal sized homes

The sellers realtor told our realtor that they picke us over higher offers because the letter resonated with them and made them feel like we would love their home as much as they did. The letter made it easier to say goodbye to their home because it was going to be in good hands.

Anonymous wrote:We did this and successfully got our house.

The sellers picked us over another bidder whose escalation went higher than ours.

I think it only worked because the sellers had an emotional connection to their house and we had a background that spoke to them.

We did not mention money, or escaltion clauses or anything like that. We stuck with the heart and soul of why their home was one that we wanted to spend our lives in.

The only reason to include a letter is to connect to the sellers on an emotional level.

Leave the nitty gritty of the finances out of the letter.

Don't go overboard with mush. Be concise and honest.

Handwrite it. Do not type the letter.

We did this and successfully got our house.

The sellers picked us over another bidder whose escalation went higher than ours.

I think it only worked because the sellers had an emotional connection to their house and we had a background that spoke to them.

We did not mention money, or escaltion clauses or anything like that. We stuck with the heart and soul of why their home was one that we wanted to spend our lives in.

The only reason to include a letter is to connect to the sellers on an emotional level.

Leave the nitty gritty of the finances out of the letter.

Don't go overboard with mush. Be concise and honest.

Handwrite it. Do not type the letter.

I think that's a great idea! We lost a house because someone wrote a letter to the seller so it couldn't hurt. Good Luck.

sorry i clicked submit too soon. I want them to know that we are willing to work with them (price wise) to get this house.

We have lost a few houses in a hot neighborhood in DC. We found a possible house this week and am thinking of sending them a letter along with my offer. In the letter I will talk about the great community, the charm of the house and also let them know that while we have an escalation clause, we will also be willing to counter offer a higher price.