Chic vs. Geek: Responding to Buyer Love Letters

We’ve talked about the pros and cons of sending “love” letters to sellers to highlight all the reasons you’re the perfect buyer for their home. But what are the do’s and don'ts for a seller who receives one?

CHIC (PEARL)

While they may seem harmless, buyer “love” letters can get a seller in trouble because they often include personal information that could reveal characteristics of the buyer like race, religion, or familial status. Why is that a problem? That information could create a conscious or unconscious bias in the seller’s decision to accept or reject an offer, which would violate fair housing laws.

GEEK (KEVIN)

At the end of the day, your decision to accept or reject an offer has to be based on objective standards, like the offer amount or the ability to pay in cash. We always let sellers know up front that we will never deliver buyer love letters, and we advise them to document the basic facts of every offer they receive and their objective reasons for saying yes or no to every prospective buyer.