If you’re wondering how to write an offer letter for a house, you’re not alone—despite stubbornly high mortgage rates, home buyers in many parts of the U.S. find themselves buying in a strong seller’s market where an offer letter to the seller can give them a competitive edge.
According to one recent Clever study, more than half of 2023 buyers (52%) say they attempted to negotiate with their seller, and 94% said they were successful. A personal appeal in the form of an offer letter can be one of the most effective negotiating tools at your disposal, and it’s free.
Here’s how to write an offer letter for a house, a letter to the seller example you can use, and the pros and cons of writing a buyer's letter to the seller.
What is a "letter to the seller"?
A "letter to the seller" is a personalized offer letter to the seller of the home written by the buyer. Buyers use this tactic to win over the owner of a home, and set themselves apart from the other bidders. This is a great strategy to use whether you’re making an offer without an agent or with the assistance of a realtor.
A personalized letter to the seller is an opportunity to connect to the seller by appealing to their emotions.
For example, an elderly couple looking to downsize from their longtime family home may be more willing to sell to a prospective buyer who makes it clear through their offer letter that they plan to take good care of the property and raise their own family there.
A Reddit user recently posted about using this dynamic to win a bidding war. They were told that the seller had a preference for a young family over a non-occupant buyer who’d rent out the house, so they wrote a personal letter telling the seller that they wanted to raise their children there. The seller selected them over an all-cash offer from an investor who wanted to rent the place.
How to write an offer letter for a house
An effective offer letter is personalized, positive, specific, and emotionally appealing. Let’s go over some tips on how to write an offer letter to a seller for a house.
Introduce yourself.
Tell the seller about you and the other people who’ll be living with you. Stress anything you might have in common. You want to give them an image of you that’s more specific than just the amount of your offer.
Compliment the house.
The house should be the centerpiece of the letter. Homeowners usually have things they love about their home and it often flatters them to hear you feel the same way. The letter shouldn’t just tell the seller how much you want the offer accepted, but why you want that particular house. It may be their kitchen, or garden, or sun porch that grabbed your attention — whatever it is, mentioning it in your letter is a great way of building rapport with the seller.
Do your research on the area.
Mention any neighborhood features or amenities that appeal to you, from the school district, to nearby green spaces, neighbors you may know, proximity to your job, or other attractions.
Get the timing right.
Make sure you’re pre-approved for a mortgage before you write your offer letter to the seller. The letter won’t be very convincing if you don’t have the financing to back it up.
Be specific.
Don’t just say the home is beautiful; talk about specific features that appealed to you, like aspects of the interior, certain rooms, or architectural features.
Remember to draw a direct connection between you and your family and the house. Instead of just talking about how beautiful the backyard is, talk about how your children would enjoy playing in the backyard.
Don’t be pushy.
Be persuasive, be personal, be specific—but don’t be too pushy. Expressing appreciation and hope is fine, but don’t beg or make demands. And don’t lay the emotion on too thick—sellers may resent feeling like they’re being manipulated.
Print a hard copy.
While emails are convenient, they may not showcase the effort put into the letter. Hard copies feel more personal. Printing a letter is usually enough, but a handwritten one can feel very personal. Some real estate agents even recommend leaving the letter on the seller’s kitchen counter before they leave the showing.
Pros and cons of writing a letter to the seller
While writing a letter to a seller can yield some great benefits, there are some potential drawbacks too. Here are some pros and cons of writing a buyer letter to the seller:
Pros
- It could distinguish you from other potential buyers. In a hot market, a home could get a dozen or more offers. Writing a personal letter helps you stand out from the crowd.
- It provides a non-financial aspect to your offer. If the seller is only looking at the numbers, the highest offer will win. But a letter can introduce a human factor that could help you prevail over offers that might be higher.
Cons
- It could backfire at the negotiating table. If the seller knows you’re in love with their house and that it’s the perfect fit for your family, they may feel they have a lot of leverage when it comes to negotiating things like repairs and contingencies.
- It could lead to accusations of illegal discrimination. If you disclose too much personal information, other potential buyers could accuse the seller of discrimination under the Fair Housing Act.
- Many sellers may not even read your letter. Because of the danger of discrimination, or simply because they only care about the amount of each offer, many sellers now ignore buyer letters.[1] On Reddit, many agents and sellers reported that they refuse to even entertain personal letters.
Example of a letter to the seller
Dear Seller,
My husband and I had the privilege of walking through your house the other day and were very impressed! The way the full front porch overlooks your budding rosebushes brought us back to the house my husband lived in when we first met as kids.
As we continued to tour your house, it began to feel even more familiar — just like home. Every detail is perfect: from the wide staircase to the little nook in the kid's bedroom. It's clear from the swing in the yard and the pictures on the wall that many happy memories happened here.
A little about us: Tom and I met in the third grade and have been best friends ever since. We attended separate colleges, but would always spend school breaks at his grandparent's home, which looks very similar to yours! We've been married 13 years and have four children.
After touring the home ourselves, we immediately brought our kids here to see if this was the place. They were instantly smitten.
If you choose to accept our offer, please know that the home will be well cared for and loved. We are excited to raise our children in a place so filled with memories.
Thank you for taking the time to consider us.
Tom and Kate Williams
Why this letter to the seller works
Connection
There was a connection from the beginning as Kate mentioned her memories of a similar porch and rose garden, and finished up by telling the seller their home would be well cared for and loved. Throughout the letter, Kate continued to draw attention to the house's details and connected them to her own life.
A Reddit user recently wrote about successfully using this strategy. The seller had put in a unique garden and fish pond, and the buyer told them in a letter that they’d take good care of the plants and fish—the seller selected them even though there was another, higher offer.
Specificity
Kate cited specific features of the house that the seller may have appreciated too— the wide staircase, the rosebushes, the nook in the bedroom. This kind of specificity proves that you’re being genuine.
Subtlety
The letter never asks or demands that the seller select them. It uses the phrase “If you choose to accept our offer,” which makes it clear that the choice lies with the seller. It’s not pushy or manipulative.
Should you write a letter? Get advice from a good agent.
A persuasive offer letter can be a great way to add value to your offer, and make you more than just another name and number on a contract. Appropriately done, a letter can tip the odds in the buyer’s favor. But providing too much information or acting too excited about the house can be risky.
Clever vets agents on your behalf so you can be confident you’re working with the best. We also pre-negotiate rates with our network so you can sell with Clever for 1.5% and get cash back when you buy. Your local Clever agent can help you navigate your home search, from looking at prospective properties, to writing an offer letter to the sellers, to negotiating price at closing, to getting you a lucrative home buyer rebate when you need cash the most. Enter your zip code to get matched with Clever agents in your area.