Think Twice About Those Buyer Letters To Sellers

Think Twice About Those Buyer Letters To Sellers

It's been a piece of advice that many agents have given to their buyers, especially when they know that there may be muliple offers on a property:  "Write a letter to the sellers, and let them know how much you love their home.  Tug at the seller's heart strings, and you may just get the house of your dreams." The trouble is, a letter from the buyer to the seller that's used to convince the seller to sell to them can cause many problems for the seller, for the selling agent if they suggested that the buyer write the letter, and for the listing agent if they gave the seller the letter.  Why?  The problem with most of these letters is that if the seller makes a decision to sell to a buyer because of their letter, may be violating fair housing laws.

Dear Mr. & Mrs. Seller,  We love your beautiful home and we know our children will love it also.   Familial Status Descrimination, particularly if the sellers favor this buyer over a buyer with no children.

Dear Mr. & Mrs. Seller, Your home is just what we are looking for and what we especially love is that we can walk to our mosque easily.  If the seller favors or rejects this buyer, it could be because of religious descrimination.

Dear Mr. & Mrs. Seller, Your lovely home is perfect for our family.  As a doctor, I want to assure you that I am quite capable of getting a mortgage for our purchase very quickly.  (Familial Status and, in Suffolk County, NY, this is also a violation of lawful source of income).

Dear Mr. & Mrs. Seller, We have just emigrated to New York from Japan and we find that your home very much suits our needs. If the seller accepts or rejects this buyer over another, it would be considered country of origin discrimination.

Dear Mr. & Mrs. Seller, Your home is just perfect for us.  We are very recenly married.  I'm enclosing a photo from our wedding and home you'll consider selling your home to us."  This could lead to all sorts of descrimination--familial status, descrimination based on color, age, sexual orientation, etc.

You might say this would be very hard to prove, however, if a buyer who lost out on a property heard (and grapevines can really get around) that a buyer letter helped the prevailing buyer to go forward with the sale, they could make a complaint, HUD would step in and put a halt or at least delay the sale.  That's a scenario that no one wants to see.  Not to mention the hefty fines the agents involved would receive if they were found to have facilitated a buyer letter to the seller.

If you are selling your home and receive a buyer's letter, give it immediately to your agent.  If you don't have an agent, return it back to the sender immediately.  

Be Forewarned About Fair Housing

• If you live on Long Island, it's important for every buyer, seller, renter, and landlord (and all brokers and agents) to know that the Federal Govenment, New York State & Nassau & Suffolk County have deemed it illegal to refuse housing based on:
• Race
• Religion
• Sex
• Gender
• Disabiity (Mental or Physical)
• Military Status
• Arrest/Conviction Record
• Lawful Source of Income
• Status as victime of domestic violence
• Age
• Sexual Orientation
• National Origin
• Pregnancy
• Marital Status
• Familial Status
• Alienage or Citizenship Status

If you're thinking of moving to Long Island give me a call at 631-875-2844 or check here for helpful information.  

If you're thinking of selling your Long Island Home, check here for three estimates of what your home is worth.  For a more precise estimate of your home's market value, please give me a call at 631-875-2844.  

I'm here to help.