Here are the latest home-buying trends for beating out the competition in a swarming spring market:
While they've been around for a while, they're getting a lot more popular, being used by buyers as a last-ditch effort to win via the seller's emotional attachment to the home. Most letters talk about favorite design choices the seller incorporated, plans to raise the family and proclamations that the home is "the one" after a long and tough home search.
Letters usually tell the seller that the buyer is serious and willing to take care of the home. But some sellers may only focus on the numbers and terms. It's a toss-up, but it doesn't hurt to try.
Buyer-Crafted Videos
These are a little newer, emerging after YouTube's digital push into vlogging, or video blogging. While they can come off as cheesy, they are a little more personal than handwritten letters, because sellers will feel like the potential buyer is talking directly to them.
According to REALTOR® Magazine, a couple recently won a bid on their dream home by making a music video to "Our House," which just so happened to be the song the sellers sang to each other when they first lit the fireplace in their home. The connection instantly won the sellers over, beating out another offer that was $20,000 over the buyers' submission.