So you made 5 offers on 5 house and have yet to get one accepted. You and your Realtor are getting frustrated. In your frustration, you post on Facebook that you are wits end and are looking for suggestions on how to get that 6th offer on the 6th house. That 6th house you will drop everything you are doing just to get there as soon as its listed to see it and get a competitive offer in quickly. One of your loyal followers post, “Write a letter to the seller about why you are perfect for their house and have your Realtor give it to them when they submit the offer.”
STOP!!!!!!!
Before you compose that great lengthy letter to the seller, STOP! There is a good chance you be could be Violating the Fair Housing Act with details you put in there. In the past, writing these letters were more common and it is still legal to write them, but the content and how you word things could put you, your realtor, the seller’s realtor, the Seller and brokerages in legal troubles. Let’s be honest here, the likelihood that the letter is going to help is slim. A lot of Buyers are having same frustrations as you and if just take a little bit of gossip (or Facebook bragging) that the seller choose you based what was in a letter that could be perceived and unintentionally discriminatory.
As your Realtor acting as your Buyer Agent, it is my duty to recommend and write the best competitive offer for the home you want. As your Realtor acting as your Selling Agent, It is my duty to present you with the offers that are submitted and make recommendations on the offers. Either as your Buyer Agent or your Seller agent, it is my duty to make sure you don’t violate Fair Housing laws. A letter that can pull on the heart strings is something I don’t recommend. If the letter is something that you feel that is absolutely necessary to send, I would recommend sending a draft to an attorney that specializes in Fair Housing laws for their advice.
Matt Dunfield REALTOR-Licensed Real Estate Agent
Five Star Real Estate
2750 Old Centre Rd # 140
Portage, MI 49024
Mdunfield@gmail.com or 269-491-0161
Serving Kalamazoo, Portage, Lakeshore, and surrounding Area.
Matt Dunfield REALTOR® 