Oregon is the First State To Reverse Ban on Real Estate Love Letters

Real Estate Heaven REH Oregon is the First State To Reverse Ban on Real Estate Love Letters

The Oregon law is unique in that it banned discrimination in all sectors, so now other states are also following suit. However, a law that took effect on January 1, 2022 in Oregon required real estate agents to reject love letters from prospective buyers, but the law doesn’t prohibit a buyer from submitting their own love letter. A real estate company in Bend, Oregon filed a lawsuit to have a federal statute prohibiting discrimination in home sales put on hold. This is an ongoing trial, and if the plaintiffs win, all but one of these statutes will be put on hold pending future resolutions.

Luckily, you are in Real Estate Heaven, we have prepared this blog just for you! We will be talking about the first state to reverse a ban on real estate love letters! Remember, that while the first step is completing any of these amazing courses, the second and possibly more important step is taking action even if it’s imperfect action.

Let’s dive headfirst into that list.

Real Estate Heaven REH Oregon is the First State To Reverse Ban on Real Estate Love Letters CoupleIn a tough market where buyers are racing to offer the proposed asking price, some bidders are adding their own personal touch by attaching what is often referred to as a “love letter” to the seller.

These letters help a seller personalize their listing to attract prospective buyers who share some similarities with them. These letters typically describe what the end-user loves about the home and emphasize commonalities of the listing.

But, did you know that realtors warn against writing personal letters to home sellers? 

Personal letters might violate the fair housing act. How? 

With Fair Housing Laws, you are protected when buying or renting a home, getting a mortgage or obtaining housing assistance. With anti-discrimination laws, discrimination based on racial is prohibited.

When writing letters and creating videos to sell homes, homebuyers may be violating fair-housing laws by portraying the house and family with too much love. Homebuyers in Phoenix have taken up this practice more frequently recently.

Trevor Halpem, owner of Halpem Residential real estate group in Phoenix, Arizona said that Most of the buyers have heard that these are good tools. He added that these offer ways to set yourself apart and make it so that you are standing out among the sea of offers.

However, real-estate agents are now turning a blind eye to the practice of ghostwriting posts for their platforms again. The Phoenix market put its foot down and said that there are no more unsolicited blog posts.

High-net inequality agents are encouraged not to review any offers including personal letters. They are instructed to submit the offer again without the letter for a faster response time.

There have been cases in other settings of this sort convincing a home seller to quickly consider using an agent, but she doesn’t think it will work well for most sellers.  Gelios said that he can’t say that he had seen it work in his career.

With Gelios’s current skills, he assures a seller, who may become desperate to sell their home, they can counter the buyer. If a seller sends a letter of desperation and wants to sell their house, they can get what they want. It is because letters could seem desperate when that person is looking for a home sale that negotiations can backfire.

Real Estate Heaven REH Oregon is the First State To Reverse Ban on Real Estate Love Letters Couple 2The importance of creating a competitive offer and making a good first impression against other bids cannot be emphasized enough, Halpern said. Offering the lowest price for a house in a market, never trying to collect repairs from the property owner and waiting for the appraised value to drop below the sale price before transaction occurs will benefit those that make these offers.

This new tactic for communicating with other agents is more efficient than using a letter. Communication can happen through questions about their needs, the look of the offers they have received and what would make them stand out.

If you just take the time as a practitioner to get a feeling of the competition and what sellers are looking for, you can suggest offers that sellers would be interested in without violating fair housing laws.

However, many real estate agents disagree with the idea that buyer letters are a bad strategy. Matt Dolan, a broker in Marblehead, Massachusetts but not concerned about how this has affected his business as long as it is only used by some potential buyers who choose to do so and he does not discourage them from writing a letter.

“It depends on the situation,” he said. “There are times when people can express themselves to a buyer, and that’s fine.” The real estate industry allows for a little creative flair, and if you have written something creative, it’s valid.

In recent years, real estate has become a major item on the market. With the high demand and low supply, it’s constantly in a state of growth. One tactic popular among buyers is the personal letter they write to sellers, using this platform to make an emotional connection.

As safe as sending a handwritten love letter may seem, the National Association of Realtors advises against this practice citing potential violations of fair housing laws and discrimination. Oregon recently banned home buyers from sending personalized letters to sellers.

“At any point in the process, my buyers are asked if they should include a personal letter with their offer,” Jason Gelios, a real estate agent of Community Choice Realty in Southeastern Michigan said. “I advise against that practice for sellers because it is uncertain what kind of person you’re dealing with.”

You might not know you’re telling a seller so much about your family and your spouse. Disclosing that information in the letter can be easy, whether you want to or not.

Real Estate Heaven REH Oregon is the First State To Reverse Ban on Real Estate Love Letters PriceIn a seller’s market like this, buyers have three main options: offer a competitive price, as must as quality terms, which will increase your chances of securing a property.

However, on Wednesday, a federal judge ruled that Oregon’s law requiring real estate developers to disclose the prices they are asking for properties when they mail “love letters” is unconstitutional.

In 2021, Oregon passed a law that prevents real estate agents from rejecting potential buyers based on their race, sex, or religion. Agents in Oregon were the only ones with this law and it was intended to prevent discrimination among sellers as they decide who will buy. This law was the only one of its kind across the country.

The company, called Total Real Estate Group, which is based in Bend, Oregon filed a lawsuit against the state’s two top officials—Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum and Real Estate Commissioner Steve Strode. The state law was ruled to be unconstitutional.

Attorney Daniel Ortner said during the case, the letters were actually helpful to people who had a hard time getting loans from other places.

Buying a house can be tough for buyers who may not have the cash on hand to compete with their peers. But, even in these circumstances, the home’s specific features can give a buyer an advantage.

A legal battle is currently ongoing as the law was temporarily halted in March by District Judge Marco A. Hernández on the basis of unconstitutionality. The judge reached a decision at the end of this week after granting protections for the law’s integrity from an outside party.

With a sentiment that land could be bought in larger quantities, housing prices have escalated to the point where buyers employ some fraudulent practices in order to increase their odds of buying, such as writing a “love letter” or skipping inspection altogether. In 2020, the median home price in Portland was $450,000. Two years later, it had grown to $565,000. The average time on the market remained at 5 days.

So, the question now is how to write an offer letter for a house? What are the do’s and don’ts? 

Well, in this part of the blog, we will be talking about the right way on how you can write an offer letter. 

Buying that dream home might seem like a simple task, but it requires more than simply finding the house with the perfect price and moving in. Even after getting all of the standard documents for your offer and receiving your pre-approval letter, you still need to convince the seller of your offer.

Real Estate Heaven REH Oregon is the First State To Reverse Ban on Real Estate Love Letters ValueThough it’s not required, you can write an offer letter.

Even in natural sellers markets, home buyers will have to make offers as they compete against one another. This can be a challenging task due to home sellers having more power. As such, consumers’ offers on homes are usually less competitive and less appealing than those of other consumer goods.

With a few do’s of writing a winning offer letter comes some don’ts. This can be discouraging, but you can still have a chance. How do you make yourself stand out from the rest? Dos and don’ts of writing an offer letter will get you one step closer to buying your dream home.

What are the “Do’s” in writing an offer letter? 

Share something personal

Get personal with your sellers by writing about yourself in a way that will make you appear more relatable and trustworthy. Be like a social media profile bio, and fill it with details about your life so you can capture the attention of anyone looking for that perfect home for their family.

Don’t be afraid to share your job, your financial goals and a summary of your family members that will live in the home. It is important that you disclose all pertinent information about yourself, so the seller can compare all necessary personal and financial data for the transaction to go smoothly.

Connect with the sellers

It is possible to imagine what type of people your sellers are by looking at their home and using your typology skills. The best way to do this is to take a virtual tour. Before you write the offer letter, you should be prepared with some crucial typographical details that will help you negotiate more effectively.

People will feel appreciated that you can talk about something from your travels without being strange and having a stranger. You can also localize information related to pets or animals for people if you like, or even show off specific cats you found during the tour!

Give compliments

Real Estate Heaven REH Oregon is the First State To Reverse Ban on Real Estate Love Letters ComplimentIt is important to let the sellers know if you want the house because of style or location, or maybe something that contributed to both? Such as a spacious backyard. Knowing the suitability of a home for your needs and lifestyle is very important for buyers so explain any intense details about what attracts you to the house.

Instead of exclusively listing rooms or square feet, sellers should provide a list of reasons why the buyers’ needs align better with their home. These reasons will usually be based on the buyer’s situation rather than an individual trait in order to address how the home would be best used with ideas including its large backyard, trees and extensive views.

Be genuine and positive

You should mention the home’s beauty in your thank you note. By saying this, you avoid expressing contract language. Use contract language when sharing an offer letter with someone who is looking for their next job to detail how long the status of their current employment will remain the same.

By having this relaxed, conversational tone and speaking from the heart, you will give sellers some sense of your personality and if they seem like a good fit for the home that you are looking to buy.

If we have “do’s” of course, there are also “don’ts”. So here are the things you should not do when you write an offer letter.

 

Don’t use competitive language

Though buying a home is competitive, try not to play too hard to get with the seller. Show them how much you care about their home and your love for it, but don’t make it difficult for them in going through the process by showing off your negative side.

If you want your offer to be successful, it is best to steer clear of using words of disparaging meaning. Your family could be more influential or another company may have a more stable financial situation.

Don’t ask questions about the property

With buying a home you should be familiar with their product and confident in your offer before they walk you through the property. A chance to ask any questions comes after you’ve toured the product.

If someone asks you too many questions after an offer, and the answers lead to a general concern that you may be unwilling or unable to commit, your offer is likely to be reconsidered.

 

Don’t overdo it

The offer letter you create should be around one page, otherwise it will quickly make the seller bored and your true intentions unclear. It is best to keep your offer brief and concise so as not to interrupt the seller’s discussions with a long, drawn-out speech.

Short and to the point, a brief letter is important to include specific details your audience needs to hear. Avoid information overload by outlining what you want to say.

 

Don’t ever lie

It’s surprising to see that buyers create false information about their intended purchase in order to make the seller more interested in selling. While the seller can’t check the validity of those statements, they may notice that information is fake.

Real Estate Heaven REH Oregon is the First State To Reverse Ban on Real Estate Love Letters Don't LieIt may seem like you have the upper hand until someone else can see your lie. Avoid lying to people in your letter by staying truthful; you’ll avoid unwanted consequences.

If you think that’s it then you got it wrong. Here are additional things you can do or not in writing an offer letter.

You can explain your bid and attach photos in the letter. It is not common to include a photo with your offer letter, but if you are a parent and you want to convey your values as a family-oriented person through the photo, feel free to do so. The picture reveals that your intentions of buying a home are true and lets the seller know how genuine you typically are. 

It’s important to not feel obligated to explain your offer in more detail, though we’ve seen it happen a few times. The best approach is on a case-by-case basis. For example, if the listing price is substantially different than that of your offer, you should explain why. Your offer letter will give your offer the context needed to end successfully.

The decision of whether or not to accept your offer is ultimately up to the seller. Even if you’ve written a top-notch offer letter, you still can’t be sure that you’ll get accepted – and the real estate market is competitive. Even so, this guide offers great tips on how to make your offer stand out!

That’s it for this blog Real Estate Heaven Fan, remember to subscribe to our channel and if you feel like we’ve delivered value please share this blog with ONE person. That’s right just one person as a token of your appreciation for the hard work we put into making content that educates and helps you on your mission of building your own fortune. Remember you can read blog after blog, but it isn’t until you actually take action that you’ll start to see results. See you soon!


Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *