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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