I love you, little house!
July 14, 2015 7:32 PM Subscribe
In keeping with the recent question about buying a house in a competitive market... Those of you who have written letters to get a seller to pick you when you aren't the highest bidder - what did you write? Tips, suggestions, don'ts, samples all welcome.
We did a bunch of these - I am not sure how much it actually helped, but we got specific feedback that claimed the letters were well received by the sellers (but some all-cash person got the house). We eventually did get a house, but also lost quite a few, so take it with a grain of salt...
Wrote letters very specific to the property and specifically what we liked about it (lilac tree in the front yard, beautiful windows in the family room, whatever - not just "love the house"). Included a cute family photo with the kids. Talked about how we wanted it to be a place where our family would grow over the years and we would become part of the neighborhood. Talked about our kids working with their parents to maintain and care for the home, just as we had been raised to do. Acknowledged the number of offers they would get, thank them for their time and assure they we would work diligently to close the deal if accepted.
In cases where it seemed to be an estate sale - eg old person died and kids/heirs were selling - I had a line to acknowledge the years of memories the home represented and expressed that I hoped the sale of the property allowed them to fulfill other dreams in their life.
posted by handful of rain at 9:21 PM on July 14, 2015
Wrote letters very specific to the property and specifically what we liked about it (lilac tree in the front yard, beautiful windows in the family room, whatever - not just "love the house"). Included a cute family photo with the kids. Talked about how we wanted it to be a place where our family would grow over the years and we would become part of the neighborhood. Talked about our kids working with their parents to maintain and care for the home, just as we had been raised to do. Acknowledged the number of offers they would get, thank them for their time and assure they we would work diligently to close the deal if accepted.
In cases where it seemed to be an estate sale - eg old person died and kids/heirs were selling - I had a line to acknowledge the years of memories the home represented and expressed that I hoped the sale of the property allowed them to fulfill other dreams in their life.
posted by handful of rain at 9:21 PM on July 14, 2015
We had an additional edge: I was waiting for our agent before going inside (it was a viewing by appointment, but might as well have been an open house...), and I schmoozed up the neighbor, who happened to be outside. So I got to say, "We met C. and her adorable little son O., who is only a month older than our daughter! And our daughter happens to have the same name as YOUR daughter!"
We definitely benefited from luck in that way, but we also picked up on a few personal clues in the house. They had lived there and were moving on now that their girls were older, so we said we basically wanted to do the same thing they'd done. We included a picture of our baby daughter so they could see what kind of awesome playmate would move in.
Thinking about my parents' recent purchase of a historic house from an older couple, you might also take a look at things like restored woodwork, etc. and express your appreciation for things like that. I think the worst thing for a seller would be thinking about the hard work they put in getting negated, for whatever reason.
From what I understand, the other potential buyers may have wanted extra contingencies, various other add-ins, etc. We didn't care. We just said, "Your house is great, and we wouldn't change a thing. We love the paint colors and this is exactly what we want for our family. If we could maybe put some stuff in the garage before we move in, that would be awesome." So we made ourselves as easy to work with as possible.
okay my husband is downstairs painting a bright blue room cream right now; don't judge
It turned out that they were really good friends with the neighbors, so making a case for us being both a good addition to the neighborhood and friendly people they wouldn't mind sharing a beer with helped. Their agents called ours five minutes after the offer and said they wanted to work with us. That's how helpful it was.
I'd be happy to share my letter.
posted by St. Hubbins at 9:23 PM on July 14, 2015
We definitely benefited from luck in that way, but we also picked up on a few personal clues in the house. They had lived there and were moving on now that their girls were older, so we said we basically wanted to do the same thing they'd done. We included a picture of our baby daughter so they could see what kind of awesome playmate would move in.
Thinking about my parents' recent purchase of a historic house from an older couple, you might also take a look at things like restored woodwork, etc. and express your appreciation for things like that. I think the worst thing for a seller would be thinking about the hard work they put in getting negated, for whatever reason.
From what I understand, the other potential buyers may have wanted extra contingencies, various other add-ins, etc. We didn't care. We just said, "Your house is great, and we wouldn't change a thing. We love the paint colors and this is exactly what we want for our family. If we could maybe put some stuff in the garage before we move in, that would be awesome." So we made ourselves as easy to work with as possible.
okay my husband is downstairs painting a bright blue room cream right now; don't judge
It turned out that they were really good friends with the neighbors, so making a case for us being both a good addition to the neighborhood and friendly people they wouldn't mind sharing a beer with helped. Their agents called ours five minutes after the offer and said they wanted to work with us. That's how helpful it was.
I'd be happy to share my letter.
posted by St. Hubbins at 9:23 PM on July 14, 2015
I thought the letters were kind of a myth until it worked for us: our offer was second highest but accepted because the seller liked the letter.
In some ways I think that was our best letter because we really were a good match for the house, but I also kind of pandered to the seller. I noticed his guitar on the wall, some gig posters throughout the house and a Victrola, so I mentioned room for our records and our hopes to turn the garage into a recording studio and band rehearsal space. I also mentioned meeting my partner at a punk club and that I DJ at a radio station. The kitchen has a professional range, so I mentioned how much we cook. We also talked about gardening a bit, but there seller didn't seem much of a gardener. We mentioned the coffee shops and burrito joint to make it clear we liked the neighborhood. I think the real clincher was asking if the 70s hairdresser's hair dryer chair was included in the house. (In the end we got the chair and Victrola.) I think those personal nods to the seller worked more than any of our imagining what life would be like here. Whatever it was, it worked and got is the house and saved us and money. My partner thinks we did a good job of conveying how serious we were about the house and how much we loved it. I can't imagine another place at this point. Memail me if you'd like a copy.
posted by kendrak at 10:38 PM on July 14, 2015 [1 favorite]
In some ways I think that was our best letter because we really were a good match for the house, but I also kind of pandered to the seller. I noticed his guitar on the wall, some gig posters throughout the house and a Victrola, so I mentioned room for our records and our hopes to turn the garage into a recording studio and band rehearsal space. I also mentioned meeting my partner at a punk club and that I DJ at a radio station. The kitchen has a professional range, so I mentioned how much we cook. We also talked about gardening a bit, but there seller didn't seem much of a gardener. We mentioned the coffee shops and burrito joint to make it clear we liked the neighborhood. I think the real clincher was asking if the 70s hairdresser's hair dryer chair was included in the house. (In the end we got the chair and Victrola.) I think those personal nods to the seller worked more than any of our imagining what life would be like here. Whatever it was, it worked and got is the house and saved us and money. My partner thinks we did a good job of conveying how serious we were about the house and how much we loved it. I can't imagine another place at this point. Memail me if you'd like a copy.
posted by kendrak at 10:38 PM on July 14, 2015 [1 favorite]
I sold a house where we got 5 different letters. It ended up being the case that there was one offer that came in waaaay higher than the others, but if it hasn't shown up the letters definitely would have been decisive. I loved that house and our daughter was born there and I definitely would have picked a family that wasn't planning to tear it down. It is now torn down.
All of which is to say, letters are all well and good, but if someone comes in 100k above asking, and you don't, your letter has got to be a pretty special piece of literature to make any sort of material difference. If you really want the place, the way to make sure you get it is to come up with more money than the next guy.
posted by town of cats at 4:38 AM on July 15, 2015 [4 favorites]
All of which is to say, letters are all well and good, but if someone comes in 100k above asking, and you don't, your letter has got to be a pretty special piece of literature to make any sort of material difference. If you really want the place, the way to make sure you get it is to come up with more money than the next guy.
posted by town of cats at 4:38 AM on July 15, 2015 [4 favorites]
Put me in the camp who thought these letters were a mixture of myth and excruciating optimism. That is, until it worked for a close friend (in the obscene housing market that is San Francisco, no less).
Unlike some others my friend didn't rely on promises of growing a family (he's not married) or leaving the decor untouched or sharing religious beliefs. He played up the only card he had: we grew up in the city and it just happened that this was a trust sale where the adult children of the deceased former owners were making a ton of profit no matter what. His realtor said they probably turned down an offer over 50k higher than his because they just didn't care about maximizing their profits and liked the idea of selling to another local in a market flooded with in movers.
It seems like it's kind of like poker: don't play the card you have so much as your opponent (or in this case the seller). Figure out what they want to hear or what shared characteristics you can play up and go from there.
posted by Exceptional_Hubris at 6:16 AM on July 15, 2015
Unlike some others my friend didn't rely on promises of growing a family (he's not married) or leaving the decor untouched or sharing religious beliefs. He played up the only card he had: we grew up in the city and it just happened that this was a trust sale where the adult children of the deceased former owners were making a ton of profit no matter what. His realtor said they probably turned down an offer over 50k higher than his because they just didn't care about maximizing their profits and liked the idea of selling to another local in a market flooded with in movers.
It seems like it's kind of like poker: don't play the card you have so much as your opponent (or in this case the seller). Figure out what they want to hear or what shared characteristics you can play up and go from there.
posted by Exceptional_Hubris at 6:16 AM on July 15, 2015
We put in a bid as soon as the house went on the market. Our letter succeeded in getting them not to consider other bidders. I knew that the family had lived here for decades and that they were moving because of an elderly parent who had to go to an assisted living facility. In our letter, I talked about how much we loved this neighborhood and how excited we were to raise our family here.
I also explained that we were putting in a bid $X-20K lower than asking because we knew that we would have to put in about $35K in repairs within the first year or so for specific items they knew needed to be fixed. I told them that I knew it was a stressful time for them, and promised to make the process go as smoothly as possible if they would accept our bid at our price -- I said that we would not try to negotiate about anything else. They accepted, we lived up to our end of the bargain, and everyone was happy in the end. The previous owner even gave me a big hug after the closing.
posted by chickenmagazine at 6:31 AM on July 15, 2015
I also explained that we were putting in a bid $X-20K lower than asking because we knew that we would have to put in about $35K in repairs within the first year or so for specific items they knew needed to be fixed. I told them that I knew it was a stressful time for them, and promised to make the process go as smoothly as possible if they would accept our bid at our price -- I said that we would not try to negotiate about anything else. They accepted, we lived up to our end of the bargain, and everyone was happy in the end. The previous owner even gave me a big hug after the closing.
posted by chickenmagazine at 6:31 AM on July 15, 2015
We wrote one of these letters. We included a wedding picture of us (we were newly married), I mentioned that I was a Librarian, we put "God Bless" at the bottom because her house was decorated with religious iconography,we praised the garden and landscaping, and I mentioned how cute her dog was. The owner accepted our offer. Hooray!
And then during the inspection we discovered there was a huge rotted hole in an exterior wall so deep that we could reach in and touch the interior drywall. Boo! We decided to pass on the house.
We felt like cheesy dopes writing the letter and I'm not sure if it swayed the seller's decision or not. We didn't write a letter with the second house (the one we got). We put in an offer and the sellers were like "TAKE IT PLEASE". They were getting divorced and just wanted to move on. I'm glad we didn't write a passionate letter with our wedding picture attached.
I suppose my moral here is: write a letter if your realtor thinks it would help (sentimental seller, etc). The sellers of the house we got probably would have barfed if they'd gotten a flowery letter from us.
posted by Elly Vortex at 7:08 AM on July 15, 2015
And then during the inspection we discovered there was a huge rotted hole in an exterior wall so deep that we could reach in and touch the interior drywall. Boo! We decided to pass on the house.
We felt like cheesy dopes writing the letter and I'm not sure if it swayed the seller's decision or not. We didn't write a letter with the second house (the one we got). We put in an offer and the sellers were like "TAKE IT PLEASE". They were getting divorced and just wanted to move on. I'm glad we didn't write a passionate letter with our wedding picture attached.
I suppose my moral here is: write a letter if your realtor thinks it would help (sentimental seller, etc). The sellers of the house we got probably would have barfed if they'd gotten a flowery letter from us.
posted by Elly Vortex at 7:08 AM on July 15, 2015
We wrote a letter but I knew the seller was VERY sentimental. It was an estate sale, and she and her sister had held on to the house for 3 years after their father passed because they just couldn't bear to sell it.
I knew we were 1 of 3 offers and that the offers were all close. I wrote how we were first time homebuyers, how we loved the house and I loved the gardens. We promised to never split the lot, because she had told the real estate agents that she didn't want anyone who wanted to split the lot (it can be split, but not nicely, so not a huge issue and we're truly not considering it). We told the truth and I didn't play up anything that wasn't legit. (For instance, I didn't promise to not change the paint colors. They were so not us). She did tell us during the closing that the note made the difference, but then she also cried during most of the closing and seemed to appreciate that we understood it was a difficult thing for her.
We did later find out that we were the only stable offer; we were the only ones pre-approved and with the income consistent to pay the mortgage. So it's a grain of salt but I would probably write the note again.
posted by RogueTech at 11:04 AM on July 15, 2015
I knew we were 1 of 3 offers and that the offers were all close. I wrote how we were first time homebuyers, how we loved the house and I loved the gardens. We promised to never split the lot, because she had told the real estate agents that she didn't want anyone who wanted to split the lot (it can be split, but not nicely, so not a huge issue and we're truly not considering it). We told the truth and I didn't play up anything that wasn't legit. (For instance, I didn't promise to not change the paint colors. They were so not us). She did tell us during the closing that the note made the difference, but then she also cried during most of the closing and seemed to appreciate that we understood it was a difficult thing for her.
We did later find out that we were the only stable offer; we were the only ones pre-approved and with the income consistent to pay the mortgage. So it's a grain of salt but I would probably write the note again.
posted by RogueTech at 11:04 AM on July 15, 2015
We just bought a house that I believe had 8 offers. Ours was not the highest. We wrote a nice letter but I think we got it because we had some time before we needed to move and offered a quick close with a free rent back. The sellers were able to use the money from the sale and live in our new house for free while they purchased a new home. Convenience beat a higher offer.
posted by little miss s at 8:02 PM on July 15, 2015
posted by little miss s at 8:02 PM on July 15, 2015
This thread is closed to new comments.
Also, we maybe gave the impression that we were catholic , so that May have helped . . .
posted by Think_Long at 7:57 PM on July 14, 2015 [1 favorite]