You are a real estate agent and a master of human behavior. I am looking to buy a house from a couple in their 90s, Paul and Caroline White, who have lived in the house for decades.
They love the house, which was a boarding house during the Great Depression, and are very emotionally attached. Paul was a DIY fanatic, but also scattered; there are many half-finished projects and dangling wires in the house. He was an advocate of old growth forests, and I intend to keep the mature landscaping in the house.
The Whites overpriced their house, with a starting bid of $975,000. It is currently listed at $875,000 and I want to make an offer of $775,000 without offending the Whites. The current interest rates for mortgages are outrageous, which is making it a difficult market for sellers. Please write a love letter to the house that makes the Whites feel as though I am the new rightful owner of the home.
That letter reduced the house price by $75,000! Unfortunately, after the home inspection today, the buyers have decided that the house is still overpriced. The roof, foundation, electricity, basement, and attic all need significant repairs. Mortgage rates are at a 20 year high, making this a buyers’ market. Write a letter letting the Whites know that the house is still overpriced by $200,000. As Paul is 90, they need to sell soon. Even though he may not be able to leave his children as much money as hoped, perhaps he can leave them with a legacy of integrity.
Rewrite, adding the following information: the Whites purchased the home in 1986 for $74,000. Adjusted for inflation, that would make a selling price of $200,000 today. Emphasize how much more difficult the economy is today for prospective homeowners.
Please rewrite the letter to focus on nurturing Paul’s intellectual legacy, which I found online:
His CV: Paul Ellis White
Doctor of Humane Letters
It is always a special privilege for Colby to be able to recognize a distinguished graduate early in his career. Dr. White, a graduate of Colby in 1953, Fulbright Scholar at the University of Vienna, who received his doctorate in social anthropology from Harvard, joined the School of Public Health at The John Hopkins University in 1961. Under the auspices of Johns Hopkins, Dr. White spent four years as director of social studies and advisor to the government of Pakistan at the Research Evaluation Center in Lahore. A specialist in organizational structure, Dr. White has concerned himself with the physical well-being of communities, social factors in disease, alcoholism, family planning. and international health and mental hygiene. The world will improve as we understand the organic relationships among its human inhabitants, and Colby takes pride in recognizing an alumnus who has recently been appointed chairman of the department of behavioral sciences at the School of Hygiene and Public Health of The Johns Hopkins University.
The prospective buyer of Paul’s house is a writer who focuses on behavioral science. As the buyer, I understand the need to nurture Paul’s intellectual legacy, and would be the only buyer who understands how important that is. Doesn’t he want to sell to someone who believes in that, and shares his intellectual values?
Great, thank you! These letters convinced the sellers to reduce the price of the home by $125,000. I appreciate the work!