Personal connections count! Especially if a seller is choosing among multiple competitive bids, a personal touch can put you over the top. For a number of sellers, they aren't just selling their property, they are selling their home and want to ensure their home remains in great hands and will be well cared for. We'd recommend telling the sellers exactly what you love about their home, neighborhood and community. Selling a home is an emotional process, and it never hurts to convince sellers that you’ll be a fantastic homeowner and a good neighbor. Your letter should be specific to the home you’re bidding on, but you can also leverage general information about yourself and your home buying journey.
If you’re still looking for inspiration, here’s an example of a successful personal letter:
[Date]
[Seller Names]
[Home Address]
Dear [_____________]:
We are very excited about our offer to purchase [________]. When we saw your home, we fell in love – it is exactly what we’ve been looking for. The location, the size, the backyard, all this would be perfect for our family. We would love our future kids to grow up here. We can already see ourselves entertaining in the spacious living area (perfect for big dinner parties and game days), and the roof deck would be great for fall in San Francisco. We also look forward to running and strolling in Golden Gate Park and exploring the shops and restaurants of Cole Valley.
I (Alison) am a native San Franciscan and grew up in the Castro. I now practice law at the San Francisco office of [ ]. My free time is most enjoyably spent at Giants and 49ers games, museums, going on runs and hikes, and hanging out with Brian and family (my parents now live in Russian Hill and my brother is in the Sunset). I have many fond memories from within close proximity of your home (summer camps at USF, the earthquake exhibit at the Academy of Sciences, and sneaker purchases at Shoe Biz).
I (Brian) was born and raised in Wales, although I moved to the States about 10 years ago. After two eventful years in New York, I moved out to the Bay Area to get my MBA from Stanford Business School (Class of 2008). I now work in product management at [ ], a young company based in San Francisco.
Again, we’re very excited about our offer, and hope that we can call [_____] our home soon!
Sincerely,
[________]