Special offer

The Letter

By
Real Estate Agent with Crye-Leike (Sango)

 

Before I begin, I wanted to find the actual post where someone on Active Rain suggested having your client write a personal letter to accompany an offer.  While at face value this may sound odd (I thought it did) I stored this in my limited hard drive (man's brain) for just the right situation in which to try this as in my mind this would only be used in the right situation.

Well, the right situation presented itself last Friday.  Pam and I have been working with a Military couple transferring from another installation to Fort Campbell.  We have scoured the area that our clients have been interested in - anything from listings with a Realtor to FSBO - completing visual tours (you would be amazed how many Realtors still don't do these) and CMAs to ensure the price was in the correct range.

The husband had an opportunity to come in for one day to view four homes that we had narrowed down the search to.  We came upon what he thought was the perfect home - one that actually had just recently came on the market and one that was in one of Clarksville's older neighborhoods.  Not 30 minutes after our viewing of the home I received a call from the listing agent to inform me that they were receiving an offer on the house.  The husband and the wife decided this was the house so Pam started to complete the offer.

Well, what I forgot to add and where the situation presented itself is that when we were viewing the home, we noticed a few Military items and most notably a print that revealed some familiar names and moreso a connection between the homeowner and our client.  While our clients did not know the owner, they did share some history in the Military which I felt was key.  At that point I suggested that our client write a personal letter to accompany the offer.  At first he (and Pam) were wondering why I would suggest such a thing.  I explained that we did not know what the other offer was and if they really wanted this house, the letter 'might' be that one thing that helps to get them the home.  He immediately asked for a piece of paper and wrote a short letter thanking the owner for allowing us to view the home and letting the owner know a little about him and his history.

Once we had everything in order, I called the listing agent to inform him that an offer was coming and that it was accompanied by a letter from our client.  He was certainly taken back - his words - 'A what?'

Well we don't know (and may never know) whether the letter was the crucial key to the owner accepting our offer over the other, but both our clients and us believe it did. 

I would like to thank whomever it was that blogged on this earlier.  While we may never use this again, we feel great knowing that we did all we could to ensure that our clients got the home of their dreams.

 

Regards

Tim and Pam Cash
Crye-Leike Realtors
931-338-1375 or 931-436-7617


The Cash Team - Making dreams come true one home at a time. Proudly serving the citizens of Clarksville and the Soldiers of Fort Campbell. To view available Clarksville properties, please visit our website at
www.cashsofclarksville.com or email us at thecashteam@cashsofclarksville.comand we will run a custom search for you. Finding you and yours the perfect property in Clarksville Tennessee and surrounding areas is our goal.

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Regards

Tim and Pam Cash
Crye-Leike Realtors
931-648-2112 (office)
931-338-1375 (cell)


The Cash Team - Making dreams come true one home at a time. Proudly serving the citizens of Clarksville and the Soldiers of Fort Campbell. To view available Clarksville properties, please visit our website at www.cashsofclarksville.com or email us at thecashteam@cashsofclarksville.comand we will run a custom search for you. Finding you and yours the perfect property in Clarksville Tennessee and surrounding areas is our goal.

Comments (4)

Tracy McNeil
Crye-Leike - Olive Branch, MS
Vice President, Broker - CRS, ABR

Awesome story Tim!  If you guys don't mind, I am going to share this with my office at the next sales meeting.  Way to go . . . and congrats to your buyers!

Tracy Kirkley

Crye-Leike, Olive Branch

Mar 29, 2009 01:53 PM
Sally Dunbar
Lyon Real Estate, Fair Oaks CA (Sacramento Area) - Fair Oaks, CA
Fair Oaks Realtor - Fair Oaks Homes for Sale

Back in the dark ages, before REOs and impersonal banks, we did this all the time.  Include a photograph, as well.  And for real effect, have the kids write the letter.  It almost ought to be illegal.

Mar 29, 2009 02:51 PM
Cindy Jones
Integrity Real Estate Group - Woodbridge, VA
Pentagon, Fort Belvoir & Quantico Real Estate News

I use personal letters all the time when it is a direct sale.  I've had sellers tell our buyers at an inspection or closing that it was the letter that sealed the deal.  I'm always looking for connection clues when we are touring a home.  I've found the best connections are military and college!

Mar 30, 2009 12:39 AM
Russel Ray, San Diego Business & Marketing Consultant & Photographer
Russel Ray - San Diego State University, CA

Way back in the late '70s and early '80s we often had personal letters and sometimes even a "moving gift" to accompany the offer. It doesn't matter how old the idea is, if it makes you stand out, you've won half the battle.

Mar 31, 2009 06:28 PM