We sent a letter to the seller only after making our offer. There was almost no inventory in the town we were living in, and so this was pretty much the only house in our budget that wasn’t falling apart. I do think it may have swayed the seller a little— I’m a pastor in a small town who was determined to stay in said small town, which made for even slimmer pickings than your average homebuyer; and so I was probably a much more sympathetic buyer than someone trying to buy a second home or an “investment property” ugh.

Anyway, I dunno. It’s rough out there.

ETA: I moved up here from Philly (though I’m originally from New England) where there were TONS of postcards and letters being sent to homes offering to buy— more often than not they were super predatory, trying to screw struggling Black families over so they could flip their house. It’s obviously(?) different here, but it would put a real gross taste in my mouth if I got a letter or a postcard like that randomly 🤷🏼‍♀️