A blueprint for the "Schmaltzy" letter to the seller
There is nothing that touches the hearts of sellers better than a schmoozing letter from the buyers. Below is a great example of how buyers can butter up the seller with a passionate letter and get their offer accepted or at least open a dialog that might not have existed without it.
I once had a letter from a buyer that got us an accepted offer even though the listing agent had an offer before us. Schmaltzy works!
In one of my recent posts, I talked about the "schmaltzy" letter that buyers can
write to the seller, to help convince them to choose their offer. Several people have emailed me asking about the content of that letter. What should it say... what shouldn't it say... what is the general tone, and just how "schmaltzy" should it get?
Here is a generalized sample of what a love letter to the seller might say, in an effort to endear yourselves to them... and end up being the offer chosen. Keep in mind, the love letter won't make up for a crappy offer (c'mon, you know when you write a crappy offer)... but might help tip the balance in your favour if the offers are tightly packed together.
So... here we go:
Dear Mr. & Mrs. Seller
We are Steven and Sylvia Schmidlap, and we are in love with your home. It's clear from viewing your home, that there's a great deal of love in the house. From your wall of photos in the main hallway, we could tell that you've raised three wonderful children here. We are just starting a family, as we've just found out that we are "in the family way", and we can only hope to raise our children, as you did, in this beautiful home, in this wonderful neighbourhood.
We can envision our children playing in the beautifully landscaped backyard, playdates, and family events. We hope to fill all the bedrooms with the patter of little feet, and have already picked out the furniture for the classic first-floor office.
Sylvia loves to garden, and is ready to play in your perennial garden. Your tulips, and hydrangeas are spectacular.
Your fantastic kitchen renovation perfectly suits our idea of a modern updated kitchen, and we particularly love the double-ovens, and the 6 burner stove. Great for Sunday breakfasts, and family dinners... The dining room is perfect for larger meals, and we could finally host Thanksgiving in our own home... wouldn't that be great.
We even love your decorating style, and other than a few painting colour changes, we'd have very little to change. It's clear that you've taken great pride in your home and it shows. We can only hope to continue the tradition, should you choose to accept our offer.
Thank you for allowing us to view your home. It's a perfect choice to begin our new family.
Yeah... I know it's schmaltzy... and you should feel free to personalize it... but schmaltzy often works. Make sure it's written by your seller, and it should be handwritten, on nice paper. If it's the only way, you could email it, but it'll work better if it's handwritten in a nice clean script.
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ALAN MAY, Realtor®
Specializing in Evanston Real Estate and North Shore Real Estate
Coldwell Banker Residential Real Estate, 2929 Central Street, Evanston, IL 60201
847.425.3779 Cell: 847.924.3313 Email: Almay@aol.com
Evanston Real Estate & North Shore Real Estate • Licensed in Illinois
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