One of the contributing factors to help you stand out from the crowd of prospective buyers for real estate listings is the ability to construct a formal, captivating real estate offer letter.
Unfortunately, most buyers ignore this singular factor, and this is where you win the seller’s attention. Looking to write a real estate offer letter that’ll make your home-buying a walk in the park? So, keep reading and pay attention to the free real estate offer template at the end of this article to significantly increase your chances of buying.
What is a Real Estate Offer Letter?
A real estate offer letter is a formal letter written to show your interest in a piece of property. Frequently, sellers don’t meet all of their prospective buyers. Your offer letter allows you to introduce yourself, state your intentions together with concrete reasons why you think the property is the best option for you, and clarify other necessary information that should be addressed therein.
However, as simple as it may sound, a lot of detail goes into writing a sophisticated real estate offer letter that would arouse the seller’s emotions. A good way to get the seller’s attention is by including your photo. However, it could be regarded as violation, and may cause the seller and agent to be sanctioned by the National Association of Realtors.
Alternate names
- Real Estate Offer Form
- Offer To Purchase Real Estate
- For Sale by Owner Form
- Home Purchase Offer Letter
Customizable Templates
Why do you need a real estate offer letter?
A real estate offer letter allows you to express yourself as a reliable buyer. The offer letter lets you show your interest to purchase a property without any commitment until certain conditions are satisfied.
While most buyers opt for a firm offer letter, there are cases where buyers prefer to make conditional offers. An offer letter would typically state all the necessary terms and conditions of the purchase. The content of the offer letter helps the seller determine whether they are okay with the terms and conditions, which save both parties’ time and avoid disagreements in the future.
Note: Price negotiation
This is an essential part of acquiring a property to ensure you are getting good value for your money. Do proper research on the market value of the property. Keep an eye on how long the property has been on the market and the rate at which market moves in that area. Make sure to leave room for contingencies to negotiate prices and work closely with your agent to ensure you are getting the best deal for the property.
Conditions in an Offer to Purchase Real Estate
The conditions in an offer to purchase real estate refer to the requirements that must be met to achieve a smooth real estate sale.
Some of the conditions for a real estate offer letter include the following:
- A property appraisal is a non-biased evaluation of a property that is used to determine the price of the property based on its current condition, features, location, and other essential factors. An appraisal usually done to protect the buyer’s interest to ensure they’re not paying more than the value of the property.
- Title research is the examination of public documents to confirm the legal ownership of a property. Title search is conducted to ensure that there are no liens or contrary claims to property flagged for sale, otherwise the transaction cannot be completed.
- Home inspection refers to the observation and reports of the state of a property that is on the market for sale. Home inspection is usually done by a qualified home inspector to examine the water, sewage, wiring, fire safety, evidence of insect damage, fire, or any issue that could affect the value of the property.
- Disclosure form is a formal document that reveals all the assets, risks, terms, conditions, and liabilities associated with the home or property.
Other conditions that may be listed in a real estate offer include the following:
- Evidence that the buyer has sold his existing home for the transaction to be complete.
- Mortgage approval from a bank or any other mortgage broker before a purchase occurs.
- The seller must make arrangements for the property’s specific aspects, such as finishing before it becomes the buyer’s.
Types of a Real Estate Offer Letter
There are two different approaches to create a real estate offer letter, and they both depend on the terms and conditions that make up the letters.
They include the following:
Firm offer
A firm offer is one that that shows the buyer’s certainty about purchasing a property. Once this offer is made, the buyer is legally obligated to carry on with the transaction and cannot pull out of the deal. Firm offers are primarily used when buyers look to purchase property in a competitive area. In addition, a firm offer is likely to entice the seller since no strings are attached to the transaction.
Conditional offer
A conditional offer comes with its terms. The transaction can only be valid when all the conditions in the offer letter are satisfied. Conditional offers may be used to protect the buyer’s interest such that the buyer has the right to back out of the deal if there are contingencies in the home inspection.
How to Write a Real Estate Offer Letter
A typical real estate offer letter requires the buyer or agent to address vital details, without which the letter would fail to deliver its intention.
Below are vital details to help construct a good real estate offer letter:
Address the seller
Real estate offer letters often refer to the sellers as “Dear reader”. While this may be formally correct, it could make your letter come off as just another offer letter that could be submitted to multiple sellers.
However, you could significantly improve your chances of trumping other buyers by addressing the seller with their actual name. Of course, if you can’t pull their name from the internet, you can always discuss it with your real estate agent.
Include your personal information
If you want to convince the seller that you’re the best person for their property, it’s only suitable to throw in some personal information. For example, you could talk about your family and the place you’re moving out from or explain what moving into their property would mean to you and your family.
Disclosing a little bit of personal information makes your letter more relatable and noticeable, these two reasons are enough to win the seller’s attention and give it a second thought.
Address and description of the potential property
If the seller has lived on that property for years, chances are high they take pride in the property. An address and description of the house show your interest in the house and give the seller a sense of value for their property. Omitting this property will not cause so much damage but will drop your chances of standing out from the rest.
Mention sale price
This is one of the most critical elements of a solid real estate offer letter. Sellers may list their property at a certain amount. However, it doesn’t always mean that it is the buyer’s price; you can throw in your offer price, which may be more or less than the seller’s listing price, depending on other contributing factors.
Your offer letter should be able to provide some context to your offer price, and it should be as honest, respectful, and polite as possible.
Proposed term for the sale
An offer letter that includes the terms attached for sale clarifies the transaction, which is an essential factor for any winning offer letter.
Highlight your favorite features
Your offer letter should include what you love about the home and why you think it’s the best choice for you and your family. For example, you could talk about the beautiful landscape, the comfy hammock, or the spacious kitchen; anything that sparks your interest in the place is fine.
However, take note not to include any plans of tearing down or remodeling parts of the property. Some sellers take pride in the structure of their homes. Telling them about your plans to restructure may cause them to rule you out completely.
Ideal closing date
An excellent real estate offer letter should clearly state the target closing date, which represents the date when the transaction should be completed.
Earnest money deposit amount
This is important to show the interest of the buyer. The real estate offer letter should include the earnest money deposit, typically about 1% of the offer price. The fee will be refunded upon successful closing of the deal. However, if the deal fails, the money may or may not be returned based on the state laws.
Deed and title discussion
Information concerning deed and title is an integral part of any property that changes hands from buyer to seller. Hence, it should be clearly stated in the real estate offer letter.
How utilities and taxes will be adjusted
Gas, water, electricity bills, and taxes cannot be left undiscussed, especially when such property is on the market. A good offer letter should highlight how these bills and taxes will be adjusted between both parties.
Any provisions and contingencies
An offer letter should spell out contingencies as regards the contract. Stating contract contingencies gives the buyer the right to back out the transactions under specified circumstances.
State-specific clauses, if required
Buying a house is one of the most expensive ventures one can throw their money into and sometimes lead to severe complications. Therefore, clauses are essential in a real estate offer letter to provide legal rights in cases of disputes. Hence, every solid offer letter should have all specific clauses stated and written in clear terms.
Identify your similarities
One of the best ways to single out your offer letter from the crowd is by finding common grounds and making a personal connection regarding the property. For example, if you notice a beautiful kitchen space or lovely garden outside, your offer letter should express you as a seasoned cook to make productive use of the kitchen or an ardent gardener as the case may be.
Finish strong
An outstanding offer letter starts and finishes strong. Following all we’ve listed above; your offer letter looks irresistible. To finish the good work, make sure your offer letter expresses sincere interest in buying the property and gratitude to the seller for taking the time to consider your offer.
Real Estate Offer Letter Template
[Your name]
[Your address]
Date]
Seller’s name]
Seller’s address]
Dear [seller’s name],
Introduce yourself in the first paragraph and explain your intention for writing the letter. Throw in few details about your background, family, and the reason you want to buy the property.
In the second paragraph, give some similarities about the house that catches your attention. Throw more light on how the house meets the demands and expectations of your family. Be careful not to exaggerate your reasons.
The third paragraph should contain the financial details of your offer letter. State the details of the down payment, preapproved loan, budget, and closing date.
The fourth paragraph should appeal to the seller that you are the best buyer for their property. Let them know what value their home will be bringing to you and your family. You may also include any other attachments in this paragraph.
Sincerely,
[your name]
[phone number]
[email address]
Real Estate Offer Letter Sample
Ben Johnson
123 Mexico
5th April 2022
Michael Hardy
City Mexico
Dear Mr. Hardy,
We appreciate the opportunity to make an offer on your beautiful home.
My partner, Alexa and I have always wanted a spacious eat-in kitchen where we can explore our cooking skills. Hence, we couldn’t think of a more suitable structure to bring them to reality. We also think the garden at the back is lovely, that looks like a perfect evening hobby for us already.
We’re also excited about the neighborhood, considering it’s close to our twins’ Ellie and Billie’s high school. We also love that your home is just a stone’s throw from the church we attend.
My partner and I have already drafted a mortgage pre-approval letter of $200,000 and are ready to make a down payment of 20%. We’ll also be pleased to offer a 10% earnest money deposit of $20,000. We’ll be happy to get on with the transaction as soon as you accept our offer. We intend to make the closing date flexible enough as the case may be.
We look forward to preserving the good works you’ve started in your home and building a fantastic life in this neighborhood. Thank you, once again, for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Ben Johnson
012-3456-789
johnsonben@yahoo.com
Dos and Don’ts of Offer Letter
The goal of every buyer and agent is to deliver a feature-rich real estate offer letter. However, there are rules put in place to ensure the letter is not lacking any vital information, and also avoid any detail that could cause the seller to lose interest on the deal.
Do’s
The list below contains some of the best practices to guide you in creating an excellent real estate offer letter:
- Keep it short and to the point: Remember your offer letter won’t be the only one the seller will be reading all day. So, avoid whatever will make your offer letter as that’s one of the fastest ways to bore potential sellers and ruin your chances.
- Focus on good: Make sure to include every good thing about the home that makes meaning to you. For example, compliment the seller on how good they kept the property over the years, the friendly neighborhood, focus on the good and build your interests around them.
Don’ts
Below is a list of don’ts you should not discuss in your real estate offer letter:
- Too much personal information: Your offer letter is not your life story. Keep your letter to one page professionally and genuinely explaining why you think the property is the best choice for you amongst other potential buyers.
- Financial details: It’s best to keep financial details away from your offer letter as much as possible. Your offer letter doesn’t need to contain the money details of your transaction. Your offer letter primarily appeals to the seller’s emotion, not their purses.
- Proposed changes: Don’t discuss your plan to remodel the property, some buyers make think it’s personal and would prefer to sell to people who would maintain the structure of their house.
- Politics: No matter how enticing you think it sounds, it’s always best to avoid politics in your offer letter; even though you may share similar views, it’s a bit too risky to take.
- Don’t contradict purchase agreements: Your offer letter must be void of any detail that could contradict with the terms and purchase agreements. However, you could run into some problems if you do.
- Negativity: The goal of your offer letter is to reach a quick and stress-free agreement. Therefore, avoid complaints or putting unnecessary pressure on the seller, as this could quickly ruin your chance of even being considered.
- Avoid sounding desperate: While a good offer letter should contain an earnest money deposit, down payment, and mortgage pre-approval, you don’t want to be too desperate about buying; the seller may use that against you by increasing their price.
Frequently Asked Questions
Real estate offer letters should always be in written form as this provides a sense of professional courtesy to the seller. However, regardless of your relationship with the seller, verbal notification should be supported by a well-crafted letter which is always more acceptable than any other alternative.
It is possible to make an offer on a house that is under contract. However, there could be chances that the contract won’t close. Making an offer for a house under contract provides the seller with another alternative to explore. However, sellers don’t just back out of a contract because you wrote an appealing offer letter, but it’s always good to have it written as an option to consider if the contract falls through.
Real estate agents do not present an offer for you. Anybody can submit an offer of their own. It’s important to note that a real estate agent has more experience making offers since they have more information on the neighborhood. While it may not be necessary to work with them, you may want to consider their expertise.
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