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Should You Write A Buyer Letter to Sellers? - YouTube
Channel: Melissa Spittel - Maryland Real Estate Expert
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Buyer love letters ...should you write聽
one when making an offer on a house?聽聽
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Is it a bad idea? Do sellers even read them?聽
That's what we're going to talk about today.
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Welcome to this edition of Real Estate Unlocked.聽
I'm Melissa Spittel, the local real estate expert.聽聽
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Sometimes home buyers will write a letter to the聽
sellers in an effort to have their offer selected.聽聽
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We call these "buyer love letters" because聽
they are designed to tell the sellers just聽聽
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how much they love the house. Their hopes are聽
that the sellers will be persuaded by emotions聽聽
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and choose their offer over the others. Is it聽
a good idea? Do they help buyers get the house,聽聽
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especially when they're competing with聽
other buyers? Or should this practice be聽聽
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stopped altogether? Be sure to watch to the end聽
because I have a tip to share for home buyers.聽聽
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For now let's talk about those letters.聽
They usually go something like this... "Dear聽聽
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Mr. and Mrs. Homeowner. We are writing this letter聽
to give you some information about our family.聽聽
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We've been looking at houses for months. It's the聽
perfect size for the three of us with room left聽聽
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over to grow our family. Our seven-year-old would聽
love running around the backyard. I work in IT聽聽
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and my wife is a nurse and the location is perfect聽
for our commute. We really hope you will consider聽聽
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selling your house to us, we already see ourselves聽
making new memories as we make it our new home."聽聽
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If you were the home seller how would you not want聽
to sell your house to this family? While you're聽聽
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reading the letter you imagine a young family聽
with a child laughing and playing in the yard聽聽
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and you imagine more children laughing and聽
playing in the yard in the future, just like聽聽
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your kids used to do. And you think of the mom聽
and dad returning from work to unite with their聽聽
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children and having dinner together. Surely this聽
is more touching than just writing an offer with聽聽
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no emotion attached to it whatsoever. After all聽
it gets the seller's attention, it tugs at their聽聽
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heart strings and they might just feel guilty聽
if they don't sell their house to this family.聽聽
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But there's something called the fair housing聽
laws and if sellers choose one offer over聽聽
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others based on a buyer's love letter they聽
can be found in violation of those laws.聽聽
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The fair housing laws say the homeowners must聽
not discriminate when selecting the buyer of聽聽
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their house and this includes whether it's a聽
single person or a family. In the letter we're聽聽
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talking about, if the sellers choose these buyers聽
strictly because they're a family, guess what?聽聽
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They are in violation of the law and it can lead聽
to legal action. As a result it's really not a聽聽
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good idea for sellers to even read the letters聽
when they are included in an offer to buy their聽聽
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house. This is best handled by sellers determining聽
upfront whether they will even consider reading聽聽
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buyer love letters. I can honestly say the sellers聽
I've been working with are choosing not to read聽聽
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these letters. They don't want to risk being聽
persuaded and they are choosing the next buyers of聽聽
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their houses based on the offers themselves, which聽
is the right thing to do. So if you're planning to聽聽
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buy a house, what do you do? Here's that tip i聽
mentioned earlier... instead of writing a letter聽聽
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to the sellers (because there's a good chance聽
they won't read it anyway), do this instead...聽聽
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make your very best offer based on your finances聽
and personal situation. When sellers receive聽聽
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offers there is no guarantee that they will make聽
a counter offer. When they receive multiple offers聽聽
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many times one is just better than the others聽
and they select it and discard all the rest.聽聽
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Making your best offer right from the start聽
gives you the best chance of getting the house,聽聽
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it's really that simple. I'm Melissa Spittel, the聽
local real estate expert where it's always about聽聽
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Keyping It Real. we just discussed buyer love聽
letters and why they aren't a good idea anymore.聽聽
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To learn more about buying a house download a聽
free copy of the Ultimate Home Buying Guide.聽聽
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If you're watching this on YouTube you can find聽
it in the description box. If you're watching聽聽
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this on instagram you can find the free download聽
in my bio, and if you're watching on facebook,聽聽
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twitter or linkedin, the free download is on聽
my website. And of course if you have questions聽聽
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what are you waiting for? I have the聽
answers, all you have to do is ask
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you
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