When you say "your" real estate agent, do you mean you have a buyer's agency agreement signed with that agent. Because if you don't, I can see why the agent wants you to write it yourself. Because they would representing the seller.

I wish all agents were as professional as Sylvia! Sorry, I just had 2 cents burning a hole in my pocket.

Ok, I have 2 cents and I'm going to spend them.... Bottom line is we don't know. If you want him to write it then say so. Everyone does business differently and what I find is many times a buyer or seller expects something without communicating it to their agent so the agent can tell you their strategy why they would do or not do it.

Everyone jumps to say it's the realtor's fault to sound eager and show what they would do, but I don't know how many times I have gotten a client that fired their last agent and then I found out maybe it was the client that was unreasonable or a bad communicator. My point is talk to your agent. If you don't know if you should fire him at the time of an offer, then you didn't do your homework when picking an agent.

Talk with them and if you don't like their answers then remember they are the experts usually(but not always) and they should have a reason they do what they are doing. If you pick the right agent and interview them first you should already know this stuff. As I always say the failure or success really starts when picking an agent and most people just grab the first one and they don't understand how this type of selection can cost them. There they are, both cents and I like to call them common sense.

Ross Quintana - Team Quintana Real Estate

This is late in the game (meaning replying to this question), but now that Christopher brought it back and Deborah chimed in:

I always, and I mean, always, write an offer letter for my buyer cllients, whether it's sellers market or buyers market. I summarize the offer, and wirte about why my clients is the best fit for the property and their qualifications and desires. I also introduce myself - they agents might know me but not the sellers (otherwise, they would have used me, wouldn't they :-))

I leave the reasons for offering price (especially if it's low) to a personal phone call to the listing agent to expalin why.

I believe what I wrote give the seller and listing agent a comfortable feeling about how much I know about my buyers and the solidity of my buyers and their offers, which has proved to be quite useful in making the offer.

Sylvia

If the purpose of the letter is to communicate personal viewpoints, such as why the home fits your needs so well, and how you look forward to using the great pool, the letter is better to come from the buyer.

If the attachment is an explanation of the actual offer, it is better to come from the agent.

I have helped buyers write letters. I have written letters myself. Evaluate what might be most effective in reaching to desired goal, and choose that course of action.

Deborah

An offer should be on the CAR contract form to be taken seriously by a seller or bank. If your realtor is not willing to help you as the client, perhaps you need to find out why and find an agent who is working for you. Is your realtor the selling agent? Is there a reason why they are not willing to write an offer. I wrote and offer, and it was accepted for a home priced at $350,000 -- the offer was for $290,000--- settled at $300,000. Have your ducks in a row, make it a strong offer, quick closing, etc. I am terribly curious why your agent won't write the contract?

Hopefully, you have done your homework in advance and have hired the right professional. Offer letters sometimes worked very well during the boom where there was competition for homes. When buyers connected with owners, things almost always went their direction (Better deal for buyer). The market has now changed and lenders (REO property) do not read them. When dealing with a short sale, a letter matters even less as the listing agent will have done their homework in advance when it comes to value and comparable sales (If they are doing their job). When offering on a standard sale where there is no sign of distress or extreme motivation, your offer letter may help but, I would suggest viewing the home while the owner is present and make a personal connection with them before presenting an offer. Don't talk about price or terms....talk about them...you and what you might do if you purchased their home.

A latter may help in situations where a lender seems to have mis-information on a specific REO listing and providing factual and detailed data might come in handy but, this seems rare. In the case of anything other than owner occupied homes that are not in distress, a letter will do little, if any good and could harm the deal. If you don't know what to write or why to write it....don't. Your choice in real estate professional will be able to lead you down the right path. Have faith in your agent of choice and your decision to use them.

good luck on getting the house , make the real-estate write the letter

Hi Sonny,

Including a letter with your offer is a great idea from my perspective. I have helped clients formulate letters many times, and essentially the information in the letter gives straight answers to a seller who otherwise would be left to draw their own conclusions as to why the offer was written the way it was.

Also, sellers are very often feeling an emotional attachment to their home and feeling like they know the person who will live there next can help soothe the emotional hardships they might feel.

Additionally very often when the seller knows a little more about you they will be inclined to work WITH you rather then working against you. This team approach gets the job done quickly and smoothly, and quite honestly, with a team approach everyone wins.

As far as content for a letter I would say it's good to talk about the work you do, how long you have done it, why you chose their home as the one for you, and what you see they have done that you would cherish as they have. For instance if they have a lovely garden let them know how you love to garden and will keep it healthy and happy for years to come.

Conversely what I wouldn't include is anything that could be used to discriminate against you. As Realtors we are reminded regularly (and rightly so!) to prevent discrimination in every way we can. If you write a letter and then feel you DIDN'T get the house because of something you included in that letter, this could be an very problematic situation for everyone involved including the Realtor who helped you.

Good luck with your offer,

Lynn Robertson

Your agent should be helping you with this. For examples of offer letters ask your Realtor or look at the NAR (National Association of Realtors) website.

Good luck!

I would have written the letter for a buyer, I see this as just a part of the negotiating process and your agent should earn his $$$. Make a client happy or somebody else will!

Let your agent earn his/her money...if they want the commission, they should write whatever you want to communicate to the seller or sellers agent.

Usually the offer letter is a just a few well written paragraphs on the Fax Cover sheet, written by the agent . Sometimes I have had to extend my remarks to an additional page or two to explain the offer when there was some special circumstance such as an exchange, or a contingency, or seller finance.

I have even written letters explaining why my buyers offer is low. This requires fine analytic, diplomatic and writing skills because one must justify the low offer while diplomatically taking care to not insult the other agent or the seller.

In about 1% of sales I have had buyers write personal letters to deliver to the seller. The letter typically complimented the seller on features of the house that had low economic value, but had some emotional value to the seller. Such as "i appreciate the care you took in choosing the varieties in the rose garden, I too am an avid gardener, and look forward to caring for it, any special advise about these plants will be taken to heart." Buyer letters might assure the seller that the new buyer will take care of the old house, or be good neighbors to the sellers old neighbors. Buyer generated letters are usually written from the heart and do not analyse home values and jsutify offering price and terms the way a Realtor letter might do.

Hi Sonny:

Perhaps I am misunderstanding you. Are you saying you wish to include a PERSONAL letter with your offer? If so, then it would be best, as your agent suggested, that YOU write it.

While a letter giving some information about yourself without giving too much away (i.e., Dear Seller: My wife and I saw your home and really loved it. We can see ourselves raising a family there, building a life there. We submit the attached offer with the best intentions and with sincere hopes that you will consider it.) attached to a contract can be a nice touch, it is certainly not a requirement.

You sound, though, as if you think an "Offer Letter" is a requirement. Each state has its own state-approved contracts (the "form" to which you referred"), and the contract for your area when properly written up by your agent will express all of the terms and conditions of your offer.

Your agents job will be to convey your intentions while protecting your interests, and a letter is not required for that. However, to reinforce your position, your agent can summarize the terms of the offer with a cover letter. This is separate from the personal letter you should write yourself.

Any seller in Stockton, even if it is that large under asking will be glad they are seeing any activity. Was the offer letter your idea, or was your agent not comfortable with presenting such a low offer. Has your agent talked to the listing agent and let them know verbally that you would be coming in lower. Usually your buyers agent will talk to the listing agent and work out the details even before anything is in writing.

I am not sure you need to get another agent, but you do need to communicate to them what you expect. If an agent is getting a commission and the seller is requesting such a letter, then who better to offer an explanation than a professional Realtor.

Communicate to the agent and Im sure it will be fine.

Good luck

I agree with Ute. Your agent's job is to write the letter and justify the price you are offering, along with comparable homes and prices in the neighborhood. Is there a chance there is a miscommunication between you and your agent?

Hi Sonny,

There is a difference between an offer and an offer letter. A formal offer for purchae requires several real estate forms that your Realtor will help prepare for you. An offer letter is just that, a letter that illustrates your offer in greater detail.

I think you should write your heartfelt letter that justifies why you believe that the price reduction you are asking should be considered. Asking the sellers to take $45,000 less than they are asking without offering supporting justification could be seen as insulting by the seller's and could prevent them from considering this offer or any other that you might make.

You don't really need to find a letter to pattern yours after, just write what you feel, what you believe and why you are offering what you are offering.

Good luck in your transaction. Thanks for the question and have a great day!

Tisza Major-Posner, Realtor, Keller Williams Claremont/La Verne (909) 837-8922

Hello Sonny. When you say "offer letter" I am assuming you are talking about a letter that goes along with the offer to substantiate the offering price and perhaps other factors that might be important for the seller in the decision making process. While I can see that a letter written by the buyer might be more compelling, I think the agent should also write a letter stating information that justify the offering price. The agent's letter should probably be more factual and include sold sales data that support the offering price and perhaps also mention repairs items that may already be known. Your letter could be more a personal letter. I personally have never asked a client to write a letter explaining the reasons for the offering price. I would think that a letter from the buyer without a letter from the agent would give the appearance that the buyer's agent does not agree with the offering price.