An excellent offer letter can be the difference between having your client’s bid accepted or rejected.
Follow our tips on crafting customized house offer letters that accurately reflect your client’s enthusiasm and financial readiness to purchase the property.
Steal This! Download Our Real Estate Offer Letter Templates
Want your clients to hit the ground running?
Download our sample offer letter templates below and help buyers started on their journey to homeownership.
Template 1
Template 2
Of course no pre-made template will exactly match the specifics of your buyer’s purchasing situation.
Adapt our template by:
Deleting any unnecessary sections completely.
Making necessary additions for contingencies like the sale of the buyer's current home.
Inputting all correct names/addresses/details.
Accurately conveying the unique terms and motivations aligned with this seller scenario.
Vet your finished letter with experienced real estate professionals to validate you haven't overlooked any important clauses before passing it along to sellers for consideration.
Read on to get more customization tips as well as a detailed breakdown on what makes a 1st-Rate home offer letter.
Chapter 1: Overview of a House Offer Letter
A house offer letter formally states the buyer's desire to purchase a property under specific terms and conditions. While letters can vary based on each state's regulations, most contain key details like:
Contact Information: Names, mailing addresses, phone numbers and email addresses for the buyer(s) and their real estate agent.
Property Details: The address and a description like "a single-family colonial-style house."
Offer Details: The proposed purchase price and desired closing date.
Financing Details: How the purchase will be financed, including down payments.
Contingencies: Situations that must happen for the sale to go through.
Earnest Money: The buyer's good-faith deposit if the offer is accepted.
Expiration Date: Date the offer expires if not yet approved.
Acceptance/Signatures: Blank space for both parties to sign the final, binding contract.
Now let’s explore each section of a winning real estate offer letter template.
Chapter 2: Key Components of an Excellent House Offer Letter
Contact Information
Get started on the right foot by clearly stating your name, address, phone number and email at the top.
This allows the seller to easily reach out with questions or discuss next steps.
Below your details, include the contact information for your real estate agent. This further validates you have qualified representation to advise you through the home buying process.
Having accurate, professional contact info inspires confidence in buyers. Sloppy, incomplete or overly casual details, on the other hand, can raise red flags with sellers.
Details About the Property
Early in your letter, identify the property address and a brief description, like “the single-family home located at 123 Main St.”
You may also want to highlight specific aspects that drew you to this particular house, neighborhood or community.
For example:
“The spacious, updated colonial-style house with the big backyard.”
“The family-friendly cul-de-sac location near excellent schools.”
“The beautiful home with mountain views in my ideal neighborhood.”
This section allows you to describe the intrinsic and emotional value this property holds for you.
It’s your first opportunity to connect with sellers on a personal level to strengthen their positive associations with accepting your offer.
Key Terms of Your Offer
The financial details form the substance of your legally binding offer letter.
Be exceptionally clear about these monetary terms so both you and the sellers share the same expectations.Purchase Price You’re Offering
Succinctly state your proposed dollar amount for buying the property. For example:
“I am prepared to offer $350,000 to purchase the property.”
If you plan to negotiate details like appliances, furnishings or fixtures, briefly specify them next.
Struggling agents:
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Contingencies
Common real estate contingencies include:
Home Inspection: Subject to a professional evaluation to identify any structural or system defects.
Financing: Contingent on being approved for a mortgage loan.
Appraisal: Requires an independent appraiser confirming the property is worth your offer price.
Sale of Current Home: Depending on first selling your existing house.
Briefly list any contingencies that apply to your offer letter.
Be specific about critical next steps, like completing inspections within 10 days or securing financing within 30 days.
If possible, minimize contingencies so your offer seems as clean and committed as possible.
Cash buys with no property sale contingencies tend to be most appealing to sellers.
Closing Date
Suggest your preferred timeframe for finalizing the sale, which is also called the closing date.
A typical closing period may range 30-90 days out from the time you submit your initial offer letter. Take the seller's situation into account.
For example, if they've already bought another home and need to close quickly for their move, indicate you can close within two weeks.
Earnest Money Deposit
Earnest money demonstrates you have “skin in the game” and serious intent to purchase the property.
While specific amounts vary by state and market norms, earnest money deposits are commonly 1-10% of the homes purchase price.
Outline your amount in your offer letter.
These good faith funds are held in escrow by a real estate attorney or title company, then later applied to your down payment and closing costs.
If the deal falls through, earnest money is normally refundable to buyers unless you intentionally defaulted per terms accepted in the purchase agreement.
Financing Details
Provide specifics if you’re obtaining a mortgage to fund the purchase. For example, make clear this is a:
Conventional loan
FHA loan
VA loan
USDA loan
Jumbo loan
Alternative construction loan or land loan
Also indicate:
Your minimum down payment amount
Type of rate (fixed or adjustable)
Length of the loan term such as 30-years
Supplying these financing specifics portrays you as an informed, qualified buyer already lining up prompt loan approval.
Expiration Date
Politely request that sellers accept or reject your offer by a given expiration date.
This deadline protects your bargaining position if another buyer expresses interest or if home values shift in your local market.
Three days is fair and customary for an offer expiration date. But a particularly motivated seller or hot property may dictate you provide sellers additional time to respond.
Signatures/Acceptance
Leave adequate blank space for signatures from both you (buyer) and the sellers.
Real estate agents also routinely sign their clients' offer letters.
There should also be a clear statement verifying that:
Your offer satisfies both parties and formalizes a legal contract after acceptance, or...
You revoke the offer if signatures aren’t obtained by the expiration date.
Getting every detail perfect on these financial terms and provisions prevents misunderstandings later that can sink the whole deal.
Chapter 3: Personalize Your Offer Letter Based on the Situation
Source: Pinterest
Now that we’ve covered standard offer letter sections, let’s discuss tips for customizing your message based on the specific property, sellers and competitive landscape.
Make a Connection with Sellers
If the local market is filled with investors flipping houses, leading with financial data makes sense.
But many sellers have deep personal attachments to homes where they’re raised families and made lifelong memories.
In your letter, strike a tone and make emotional appeals geared toward owner-occupants. For example, mention if you:
Have kids and want room for them to play in the big backyard that attracted your family.
Fell in love with the home’s craftsmanship and charm you want to steward for years to come.
Have always imagined raising your family in this friendly neighborhood.
These personal touches build rapport with individual sellers compared to distant corporations or developers. Leaning into shared hopes and values around homeownership pays off in seller preference.
Address Specific Seller Motivations
If you’re able to speak with the sellers or real estate agent first, ask open-ended questions to understand why they’re moving.
Once aware of seller priorities, weave responses into your offer letter.
For example, if they’re relocating quickly for a new job or downsizing for retirement, emphasize:
You’re able to close quickly and flexible on dates.
You won’t require multiple return trips inside for inspections.
You’re excited to take ownership of items they no longer need.
When possible, reaffirm that you can deliver on their top priorities regarding the sale.
Stand Out Among Competing Offers
Increasingly tight housing inventory leads to bidding wars in many markets. Your agent should find out details like:
Number of competing offers already submitted.
Asking price and approximate list price of recent nearby sales.
Typical size of earnest money deposits on these homes.
Average number of days area homes are staying on the market.
Research will reveal how much you must increase your offer or shorten contingencies to beat out other buyers vying for the same property.Getting intelligence from your agent on these marketplace factors allows you to make the seller an offer that truly stands out.
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About the Author
Aaron “Kiwi” Franklin
Head of Growth
Aaron "Kiwi" Franklin is the Head of Growth at Ylopo and an innovative technologist and serial entrepreneur who has over 25 years of experience creating digital solutions for major brands and pioneering companies at the intersection of technology and real estate. His depth of expertise stems from leading development of the first website for Apple to founding a global community of over 1,000 elite athletes. Connect with me