Does Writing A Personalized Letter For The Buyer Sway A Seller’s Decision?

By Victor Quiroz

A few months ago I helped contribute to a U.S. News & World Report article regarding the use of Snapchat in real estate. I must have made an impression on the writer because she called me again recently to ask if I would contribute to another article about personalized letters from homebuyers to sellers and how they can help persuade a favorable response. I gladly obliged and offered some insight into a practice that is becoming more common among buyers’ agents. Here’s what I had to say on the subject …

Writing a personalized letter telling your buyer’s story can help sway a seller’s decision!

In today’s real estate market it is very common for buyers’ agents to show property, write an offer for their buyers and submit that offer via email without ever talking to the listing agent. When this happens, the listing agent and seller have no idea who the buyers are, why they are buying a home or why the seller should select their bid other than the price and terms on the contract. As I noted in a previous blog post, this is especially common with millennial-age buyers’ agents who are so used to communicating via text, social media or email.

Writing a personalized letter with a nice family photo and sending it to the seller detailing who the buyers are, what they do for a living, why they fell in love with the home, the ages of their children (if any) and how they see their family fitting into the community helps the seller relate to the buyer on a different level that goes way beyond the sales price or terms of the offer. This tactic is especially helpful in multiple offer situations when the net to the seller is approximately the same from each buyer. As buyers’ agents, we don’t know much about the seller’s life experiences but if we can explain unique traits about our buyer’s life such as military service, family situation or the industry they work in, it may resonate with the seller in a personal and touching way. While writing a personalized letter may not always help win the bid, it does help humanize the buyer in the seller’s eyes and increases the chances of getting a positive response from both the listing agent and seller.

However, even the most heartfelt letter can’t trump the two most important factors to homesellers: the sales price and terms of the offer. If those two things don’t make sense for the seller then the emotional appeal won’t matter. However, if they do make sense, a personal letter can be the very thing to persuade sellers that these particular buyers are the best fit for their home.

As we know, every seller is different and they are selling for different reasons. Sometimes sellers make decisions not based on financial gains but based on emotions. I have seen sellers accept less money and turn down faster closings because the buyer’s story resonated with the seller in a special way. I have had success in writing offers and attaching personalized letters for military veterans, law enforcement officials, county employees and educators over the years and I encourage other agents who I train within Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties and throughout our network to do the same.

VICTOR QUIROZ is an agent with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties in Ontario, CA and a member of the national REthink Council as well as a director of the Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties REthink Council. Get in touch with Victor on his website www.Victor4Homes.com or through Facebook , Twitter or YouTube.