Personal letters divide realtors in northern Ontario's competitive housing market

Realtors in northern Ontario are divided on the effectiveness of personal letters in home buying. While some believe a heartfelt letter can help buyers stand out, others argue that money talks the loudest. 

Laurel Price, a broker with My Manitoulin Real Estate in Kagawong, believes personal letters can give buyers a critical edge in a competitive market.

"Sellers generally have a strong emotional attachment to their home. They've invested a lot of time and energy and money into their home," Price said. 

"Most of the sellers we deal with want to know who is buying their home because they want to know that whoever is buying the home is going to love it the way they do."

In some cases, Price says when offers are very close, sellers choose an offer based on the letter.

She's said she's even witnessed situations where sellers accepted a lower offer because they believed the buyers would truly cherish the home.

Realtors split on letters

Tristan Ritchie, a realtor with Lake City Realty in Sudbury, said buyers should consider sending a personal letter every time they make an offer. 

He said he's also seen how a personalized touch can make a buyer's offer stand out in a competitive market. 

Ritchie said he recently won a bid for a house where the offers were identical. He said the only difference was that his clients submitted a letter, while the competing buyers did not. 

"[Letters] might slightly give you an edge if someone doesn't have a letter and you're very, very close in price, but ultimately, if you can have that slight edge, it could help," Ritchie said. 

But not all real estate professionals think personal letters make a difference. 

Marcel Gladu, a broker with Re/Max Crown in Sudbury, is skeptical of their impact. 

"I don't get my buyers to submit letters to sellers," he said. "It's a business transaction at the end of the day. And to be quite honest, the letter could be just totally made up."

When buyers provide a personal letter, Gladu said he might mention it to his selling clients, but most of the time they're not interested. 

"Half the time, [sellers] just want to know the numbers, the figures, and the details of the offer," he said.

"Sellers are typically focused on making the transaction a straightforward business deal rather than getting emotionally involved."