How to Write an Undeniable Offer Letter for Your Dream Home

Buying a home in a competitive market means you need to have all your ducks in a row. You can be successful by putting your best foot forward before the starting gate. One way to spruce up your offer is to write a love letter to the seller.

All sellers have different reasons and motivations for selling their home. A major life event may have caused them to rethink their life and selling the house makes the most sense. They may have found their dream home or a better rental and need to sell the one you are looking at.

No matter what has happened, the dollar amount you are offering to purchase their home is going to carry the most significance to the majority of sellers. Making a strong offer with the guidance of your real estate agent and having a solid mortgage pre-approval in place is critical for success. Those are the key components required to make sure your chances increase for getting an accepted offer. Still, a stellar offer letter can break a tie between two identical offers — or even sway the owner your way if someone slightly bests your bid. With that in mind, here’s how to craft a killer offer letter for your dream home.

1. Write the Letter Yourself

This letter should come from you, not your real estate agent. The agent cannot convey the emotional attachment you feel toward the home the way you can. If your agent wants to write a companion letter or character profile, that’s fine, but a love letter that comes directly from the prospective buyer will be most meaningful. This letter should be impactful and compel the seller to choose you.

2. Explain Why You Want the Home

The reality is that you do not know the reason why they are selling their home (though your real estate agent may be able to supply some clues) so a good strategy is to give them the reason you want it. Write a letter to the seller appealing to their emotional side along with their financial interest in your offer. Write a genuine letter about why you are interested in buying their home specifically. What about it calls to you? Do you see your family living there for a long time?

3. Be Specific

If you really liked the way the backyard “felt” and you can see your kids playing there or getting married under a well-groomed tree, put it into words. Make the sellers see you in their home. It sounds sappy, but it can appeal to the right people. A letter can evoke pride for a seller in their home and can give them the satisfaction of being able to provide a home for a young family that will create more happy memories there.

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4. Get Personal

Talk about your family. Use this letter as a way to introduce yourself and tell the seller about your long-term goals. Let them know if you’ve been raised in the area and share with them why you think their home is the fit for you and yours.

5. Assure Them You’re a Strong Buyer

A seller will want to know a buyer can make good on their offer, so be sure to let them if you have a steady source of income, what you do for a living and, even, how solid your credit score may be. (You can see how your credit is doing throughout the homebuying process by viewing two of your free credit scores, updated every 14 days, on Credit.com.)

One additional thing you should consider is having your lender call the listing agent in order to confirm your ability to purchase and willingness to perform. This is a bonus that can help push your offer over the top as this confirmation proves to the listing agent and sellers that you are serious and well-qualified. Communication in every real estate transaction is critical and this proactive approach reduces the amount of vetting that the listing agent has to do on their offers.

What’s in a Offer?

Remember all those ducks we mentioned earlier. In addition to your love letter, your offer to purchase someone’s home might include:

A cover letter from your agent explaining who you are and why they brought you to their home
The terms (total offer price, down payment, etc.) under which you would purchase their home.
In addition to that personal and detailed letter explaining why you would be a good fit for their home, you may also want to include a photo of you and your family.
A mortgage pre-approval letter from your lender showing you are dedicated to buying their home.

Keep in mind, a stellar offer letter is just one small part of the process.

Image: oscarhdez