A common practice in real estate is coming under new scrutiny because of concerns about discrimination. And one state has made it illegal. …
While housing discrimination is a real problem, Mr. Ortner said, “these letters convey accurate, truthful information that is helpful to the seller.”
The idea that they lead to discrimination “is speculation on speculation,” he added, noting that more often than not, the letters might convince a seller to go with a slightly lower offer if it came from a buyer “who will use and cherish a house.”
A well-written love letter can help a buyer stand out, particularly in a bidding war, said Patton Drewett, a real estate agent with Compass, in Austin, Texas: “It can be the decision maker to sway a seller.”Credit…Stacy Sodolak for The New York Times
Cari Field, a real estate agent in Los Angeles, said she has had homes that received as many as 60 offers, but the competition usually comes down to two or three of the highest offers — and that’s where love letters can tip the balance. What sellers often want to know, she said, is if it’s “going to become an income property or an Airbnb party house.”
In one case, Ms. Field said, she had a seller who chose a buyer whose letter talked about how well equipped the house was for a person with disabilities. (The buyer used a wheelchair and the seller had altered the home to accommodate a disabled parent.) “I’ve really only had it work in favor of the underdog,” she said. “Is that such a bad thing?”
Sarah DiLeo, 42, who works in digital media production, was renting in Brooklyn when she bought a home in the Berkshires in July of 2020, as a rural escape for her wife
