Chic vs. Geek: Buyer Love Letters

It’s only April, but all this warm weather offers an opportunity to awaken the Sleeping Beauty of your backyard pool!

CHIC (PEARL)

For the past two weeks, we’ve been working with a seller to prepare an off-market property in the Rivermark area of Santa Clara. We quickly had an interested buyer and got a good offer. When we opened the offer package, we noticed the buyer had included a personal letter and photos. This instantly brought to mind the Fair Housing Act, which prohibits using protected characteristics of the buyer, such as race, religion, or familial status as a basis to accept or reject an offer, as opposed to simply price and terms. It’s important for all of us to be mindful of how our known or unconscious bias can impact our work. That’s why “buyer love letters” present a tricky situation that is best to avoid.

GEEK (KEVIN)

In a hot market like Silicon Valley, where housing is in high demand, it’s only natural to want to stand out from the pack and make the best case for yourself as a buyer. But as much as we want the best for our clients, we also feel it’s our obligation to give sound advice that will protect everyone involved in a property transaction from even the perception of prejudice. The house may be the perfect fit for you, but at the end of the day, you need to let your offer speak for itself. If the seller decides to go another way, it should be based on a fair assessment of how your bid stacks up. This is a particularly good reminder in April, which is recognized nationwide as Fair Housing Month.