The real estate market here tends to lag the national marketplace. So as part of a new acquisition of a property in a different niche, I have multiple properties being sold within a tight window. So far, I have three that will be sold off within a 12-day window in May.

Last night I accepted an offer on a place that had been on the market for five days. It has been a feeding frieze with three over price offers submitted before we asked for highest and best and our required timeline. One of the parties submitted an accompanying letter that I thought I would share. I pretty sure this is an Ai form letter:

Dear Family of 21785 Golden Dr.

We adore your home! It is very beautiful, well maintained and in the most perfect location, it very close to our family and friends. we can only imagine watching our family grow bigger there! Thank you for considering us to purchase it.

From the minute we saw the listing, we had to see it. When we stepped inside, we felt right, a place for our child(ren) to grow up in and call home. We love how the home has character, from hardwood floors to the fireplace in the basement! It made us giddy to think about all the possibilities like having our son's first birthday to having our Christmas drinking coco watching the snow fall near the beautiful windows. We absolutely fell in love with your home.

There are a couple more paragraphs that they submitted. I would type it out, but my blood sugar level has rose up by just typing up the first half of this. I can't say anyone else has ever turned in such sap before. They went $2,500 over asking and wanted to close within three weeks so that was too fast for my exchange.

I wrote a letter to a seller once when my elderly neighbor died. I knew another neighbor who I did not like planned to buy her home when she died.

I send I nice note to her children expressing my interest in purchasing the home and used it as an opportunity to reminisce about my long time personal relationship with their mother. I recounted stories she had told me, and how much I’d miss her. I got the house much to my other neighbor’s dismay. While I hoped this would be the outcome, I was sincere.

Could have been a real letter. Some people get all sappy when it comes to certain things.

Either way it is a shame that they wanted it sooner and that didn't work for your 1031. Any chance you could work something out with them?

Maybe a short rent to own with option to buy more in line with your needed timeframe?

Those "love letters" must work sometimes because so many agents have their clients write them.

Sorry, I don't care how happy your kids would be if they lived in that house. You want the house, then pay me.

Ray, people will offer a fast closing because sellers usually prefer that. Did you counter offer with a longer closing period, other terms the same?

Congrats on that Ray!

My daughter's house is still sitting after two weeks. Lots of online views, quite a few showings. The feedback is not anything they can change.