Real Estate Book of Letters

Sample Letter #1: PROS-02: For Sale By Owner #2

 
June 14th
 
John & Margaret Phillips
1005 San Juan Street
Los Angeles, California 90026
 
Dear John & Margaret,
 
It's now been a couple of weeks that you have been trying to sell your house by yourself, and for YOUR sake I hope you will be successful... although the odds are not with you.
 
You can figure it out for yourself. Currently in this area, there are some 3,500 full-time real estate professionals who are working seven days a week to sell homes like yours. And even with so many professionals on the job, it is STILL taking them an average of 97 days to get one sold. Folks, if 3,500 full-timers who know what they are doing still take over three months, how long will it take you working part time by yourself? You COULD be at this forever! On the other hand, you could allow someone like me to do it for you-actually to your financial advantage-because we are in a position to provide you services that are beyond what you are in a position to do for yourself. For example:
 
· We can pre-qualify prospective buyers before they ever show up at your house. Why is that important? Because it does neither of you any good to get committed to a transaction that can't close no matter how much both of you want it to.
 
· We can give you a number of tips on what you can do to show off your home to its best advantage-which means giving buyers what BUYERS want, not what you might happen to have to sell. We work with these people every day and can tell you what they are already telling us!
 
· We can show you which marketing approaches work best on homes like yours-whether you decide to use us or to work on your own. You are in the driver's seat either way.
 
How does that work for you? Easy: We just need to talk. If I can help, I'll show you precisely how. If I can't, I'll own up to that too. Interested?
 
Kind regards,
 
Nicole DuBois, Realtor
 

 
Sample Letter #2: PROS-05: Expired #2:
Non-Residence/At Time of Expiration
 
June 14th
 
John & Margaret Phillips
1005 San Juan Street
Los Angeles, California 90026
 
Dear John & Margaret,
 
It is my understanding that a property you own at 800 Vista Way was listed for sale, but that before it could sell, the listing agreement expired. If that is true, and you still have an interest in selling, and you have not re-listed with any real estate broker, then I'd like the chance to SHOW you exactly why the place did not sell and what you could do about it from this point on.
 
What's in it for me? Maybe nothing, maybe everything. All I want at this point is a chance to meet, solve a problem for you and show you how we might-at your invitation-play a role in your process.
 
I am aware that this property is not your residence, and that may have influenced your strategy over the past couple of months while offering it for sale. Certainly selling rentals or second homes is different than selling one's own residence. And those differences must be capitalized upon or the built-in advantages will be lost, and you'll find yourself surrounded by all the problems.
 
In short, what I would like is simply the opportunity to meet with you, ask you a couple of direct questions about your intentions and goals. If I can help, I'll show you precisely how. But if nothing else, I certainly can show you what kept you from selling the first time so that if you ever decide to try again-with or without a broker-you don't make the same mistakes twice!
 
Fair enough? You'll be hearing from me directly about setting an appointment.
 
Warm regards,
 
Nicole DuBois, Realtor
 

 
Sample Letter #3: PROS-12: Farming/5th Month: Value of Improvements
 
June 14th
 
John & Margaret Phillips
1005 San Juan Street
Los Angeles, California 90026
 
Dear John & Margaret,
 
One of the more common questions that homeowners ask is:
 
"Which home improvements make the biggest difference in the price we can get for a property?"
 
Good question! Unfortunately, when anyone talks about AVERAGE dollar amounts and AVERAGE percentages, it never tells you anything about YOUR home in particular. But averages can give you a pretty good idea.
 
Basically-within limits-anything that improves the size, function, and attractiveness TO THE GENERAL BUYING PUBLIC will increase the value. The limits have to do with the initial value of the home (you aren't going to double it) and with the neighborhood (if your neighbor has outlaw motorcycle gang meetings at his house, your new room addition and bird bath probably won't help).
 
Room additions with proper building permits tend to get you back all your money when they look like the rest of the house. Those that look "added on" usually don't fare as well. Certainly, the lack of proper building permits causes problems as do any rooms that were not built to code.
 
Extra bathrooms, quality kitchen cabinets and kitchen up-grades, new roofs, roomy closets that don't reduce the square footage of the house, exterior paint, light color interior paint or neutral, small print wall paper; all these tend to get you back something more than you spent. Water, lawn chemicals, cleansers, driveway oil removers, and colorful plants in front are always a big plus. A SELECTION (not a jungle) of house plants-still healthy-usually helps. Anything that makes your bedrooms look bigger is a good idea: Mirrors on closet doors, light window treatments, tasteful sparse furnishings.
 
You can hope to break even (at best, usually) on: New carpets; swimming pools; fireplaces built in or added on considerably after the original construction; built-in cabinets after the original construction; custom curtains and specially blended wall paints. I do hope this gives you some ideas you can use. And I hope you will call me if I can be of service to you.
 
Warm regards,
 
Nicole DuBois, Realtor
 

 
Sample Letter #4: SB-03:
20 Days Working Together
 
June 14th
 
John & Margaret Phillips
1005 San Juan Street
Los Angeles, California 90026
 
Dear John & Margaret,
 
It's now been 20 days since we started working together, and I want you to know I've appreciated the opportunity you've given me to help. And since we are now about three weeks into the process, I thought this would be a good time to assess for you where we are as of now.
 
To The Point: I see property every day, and I am tied into the entire network of newly available properties plus complete inventory books of past availables. That means if something is there, I'm aware of it. For you that means you won't ever have to look at EVERYTHING on the market to know you've seen enough. My job is to streamline all that for you; that saves you enormous time and lets you know you are choosing from the best, rather than the least, of the opportunities.
 
NO ONE knows of anything available that comes closer than what I've been choosing from to show you, and there are no guarantees about a new/special one coming up anytime in the foreseeable future.
 
THAT means it is time for you folks to make your selection. What you hope to find is a special house. But your dreams are not so unusual that there aren't a number of other homebuyers in town now hoping to find exactly what you want, too. So the question is simply: Once someone comes acceptably close, who will make the decision first? If one of the other buyers makes it first and you are a close second, you may have to drive past that other house for years seeing what might have been, because you'll have ended up with your SECOND choice.
 
Which property will that be? That's up to you. But we need to act fast because the best ones go first, while the worst opportunities seem to linger on forever. Whatever happens, I'm on your side!
 
Warm regards,
 
Nicole DuBois, Realtor
 

 
Sample Letter #5:
THE 10 FACTORS MOST LIKELY TO INFLUENCE YOUR SALE:
 
Every one of these items acting in your favor moves you closer to a sale. Every item on which a homeowner is unwilling or unable to make a concession moves you further away from a sale. Just remember whose side you are on!
 
1. Price the property between WHOLESALE and RETAIL.
 
2. Be willing to consider offers based on VA/FHA terms. Government terms give many buyers a head start on the ability to afford a home.
 
3. Allow the property to be shown with or without an appointment! That's a nuisance, but not as bad as being on the market unsold for 6 months!
 
4. Please Be Gone whenever a prospective buyer-accompanied by a Realtor-wants to see the house. And STAY gone until they're gone! Buyers need to "try it on for size", but they can't do that as long as you are there.
 
5. Eliminate any barrier to a free flow of traffic in the property: Bulky or extra furniture; house plants that stick into traffic ways; toys or clothes not put away or beds not made, etc. slow down foot traffic and make rooms look smaller and darker.