Writing a Letter to the Seller of a Home: 7 Tips for Home Letters

A letter to the seller of a home functions as a cover letter of sorts to your bid on a house. Personal touches like these can persuade the seller that you’re the right candidate for a new home in competitive markets. Keep in mind letters like these function best as supplements rather than substitutes for making the highest offer you can. If you come in far short of the sale price with your actual monetary offer, even the most heartfelt buyer letter will likely fail to move the needle in your direction.

Adding a personal touch to your home offer can be just the thing to set your bid apart to the seller. Here are seven tips to write an offer letter effectively:

1. 1. Be personal but somewhat private. Try to let the seller know some details about your personality without mentioning too much about your identity. For instance, saying you’re a first-time home buyer with a young family would be fine—but specifying anything in regard to your race, national origin, sex, and so on pushes up against the edge of fair housing laws.
2. 2. Couple the letter with a decent bid. Home sales are still primarily real estate transactions. Regardless of how well-written and heartfelt your letter, you still need to ensure your offer price is at least within the ballpark of the asking price. For example, if you’re caught in a bidding war, the seller will almost always factor in who can provide the bigger down payment above who wrote the nicer letter. Secure your mortgage rate and approval from your lender before you send in your letter as well.
3. 3. Err on the side of brevity. While you might want to gush endlessly about how the seller’s house is your dream home, try to keep things reasonably to the point. Write a few heartfelt and concise paragraphs featuring a few key details in your personal letter instead of recounting your trials and tribulations in the real estate market or talking about every nook and cranny of the seller’s home.
4. 4. Exclude any talk of remodeling. People have deep emotional connections to their homes, so focus more on what you like about the seller’s house as it stands instead of mentioning extensive renovations. You’ll improve your chances of making the winning offer if you assure the seller you’ll leave their favorite aspects of their old home intact.
5. 5. Proofread and revise the letter. Sellers get a lot of home offer letters from potential buyers, so make sure yours is free from errors. It’s important to revise and proofread when writing letters like these—you want yours to seem as professional and eloquent as possible.
6. 6. Provide wiggle room for the seller. Think about any additional offers you can include in your letter to make the home seller’s life a little easier. You could mention you’re okay with covering repairs or indicate you’re flexible on the move-out or closing dates. This shows you’re willing to work with them to make the process as smooth as possible for both of you.
7. 7. Specify what you like about the home. Tugging on the seller’s heartstrings necessitates writing a compelling, authentic love letter about the house they’ve put on the market. Instead of simply saying they have a beautiful home, specify what you love about it. Include details about what makes their living room, kitchen, or another region of the house just right for you. When you do so, you build an emotional attachment with the seller even if you never meet in person.

Whether or not you write a letter to the seller of a home depends on whether or not it’s even legal in your state. The state of Oregon has banned the practice due to the fear it might violate fair housing laws. Prominent realtor associations in California, Colorado, and other states also advise against the practice. As a best practice, check with your real estate agent about any laws affecting the housing market in your city or state, including writing letters like this.

The bottom line is “Dear Seller” letters dance close to the edge of what’s permissible under the Fair Housing Act. Since so many people who write these letters disclose information about their race, sex, national origin, familial status, and so on, it opens up both the potentiality for actual discrimination on the part of the seller or alleged discrimination from the buyer should the seller not sell the house to them specifically.

All you need is a MasterClass Annual Membership and our exclusive video lessons from prolific entrepreneur Robert Reffkin, the founder and CEO of the real estate technology company Compass. With Robert’s help, you’ll learn all about the intricacies of buying a home, from securing a mortgage to hiring an agent to tips for putting your own place on the market.