Desperate home-hunters are turning up the ante amid the chronic housing shortage, sending personal letters to sellers about why they should be the chosen ones.
The emerging trend is driven by Perth’s low listings — which have dropped by more than a third in the last two years — with some eager bidders even writing hard-luck stories in letters accompanying their official offer.
Real estate agents say the trend — common in parts of the US — has gathered pace this year, with a single home in the northern suburbs recently receiving 10 such letters.
Real Estate agent Jon Williams, from The Agency, said the tactic was surprisingly effective. He said they helped house-hunters stand out from the crowd by creating a connection with the seller.
The prospective buyers typically seek to sell themselves by praising the home and including their personal circumstances, sometimes with photos of weddings, children and pets.
Many letters sought to assure the seller of their legacy by promising not to demolish the house, but using it to continue a family tradition with children of their own.
The letters tend to play up being “Western Australian born and bred” and buying as an owner-occupier rather than as an investor.
Mr Williams warned anything verging on emotional blackmail would likely be viewed with disdain.
But real estate agent David Snell, from One Agency in Stirling, said in his experience, the intensity of the letter was less important than the personality of the seller.
He had seen sellers moved to tears when reading some of the passionate pleas, including one which referenced a sibling’s recent death and a desire to use the inheritance to buy a home in their childhood neighbourhood.
A simple yet personal letter worked for newlyweds Jacob and Eden Stone, who recently bought in the northern suburbs.
The pair dropped the note into the letterbox a few hours after attending a home open at the property.
It included photos of themselves and the interior of their rental property and a blurb about wanting to raise their future children at the house.
The sellers were so impressed with the personal touch they asked the couple for their offer and accepted it immediately, cancelling the second home open planned for the following day.
Mr Stone said their pair had been exhausted with life on the house-hunting trail, attending up to six inspections every weekend for several months and enduring the disappointment of rejected offers.
The Stones are far from the first to succeed with a personal note.
Barefoot investor Scott Pape bought a home after ‘letterboxing’ his preferred suburbs.
And Australian cricket great Justin Langer also purchased his current property 24 years ago with letters he personally put in letterboxes of homes in coastal areas.