When you are applying for a job, you will most likely spend quite a lot of time perfecting a cover letter to be sent with your CV. This cover letter gives you a chance to stand out amongst the other applicants, and to make a great impression on your potential employers.
So, why wouldn’t you send a cover letter when making an offer on a new house? Submitting a personalised cover letter with your financial offer may be the one thing that sets you apart from the other parties interested in making an offer!
Every seller, as with every buyer, is different, and your cover letter could make your property offer more appealing to those who prefer a personal touch.
For some, selling a property is purely a business transaction but for others, it could be the sale of a building that was a home, and that they are quite attached to. It may be a house full of memories, that they raised their family in, and understanding why the property is so important to the next owners could be a deciding factor for the sellers when choosing an offer.
If there are numerous offers on a property, adding that personal touch could make all the difference. By stating in the cover letter why this house is perfect for you, you are showing appreciation for the property to the seller, and that genuine touch may be the deciding factor for the sellers.
Depending on who your solicitor is, they will sometimes include a cover letter with the offer showing their clients’ purchase position, but a personalised letter is the appeal from the buyers’ perspective, saying “this is who we are, we would love if you accepted our offer – and these are the reasons why!”.
Our Director of Property Sales, Tzana Webster, has this to say on the importance of including a cover letter when you make an offer.
“There is no denying that it is a ‘Seller’s Market’ at the moment – meaning limited properties coming to the market and a strong number of buyers keen to secure their next move. With competition for property so fierce, creating a personalised cover letter and including this with your offer can absolutely help set you apart from other property buyers and do wonders with pushing your offer to the front of the queue.
Telling the sellers a bit about your situation as a purchaser or finding some common ground with the sellers that may tug at their heart-strings and tie your circumstances together can really help to make this stressful transaction more personal and endearing.
So many of the property sellers I work with would love the opportunity to read through personalised cover letters from interested buyers when we are discussing Closing Date offers and many say that they could consider this when deciding on which offer to accept.
It is also a helpful FYI to know that a property seller is never obligated to accept any offer that comes through – even if it’s the highest offer that is received. Perhaps your offer is slightly less than the top-offer received, but the sellers read your personalised cover letter and select your offer over the others.
I say to clients all the time that you have absolutely nothing to lose by preparing a personalised cover letter that has personal details about you as a buyer (& maybe even a picture or two!) that accompanies the offer your solicitor sends on your behalf, and this may be just the trick needed to secure your dream home!”
If you are in the market for a property or are wondering what your options are in the market today, visit our Properties for Sale page, and remember – don’t forget to include your cover letter when you make an offer!