Charlotte’s hot real estate market is pushing some buyers to extreme measures. A new tactic is a so-called “love letter” written to landlords to curry favor with them.
CHARLOTTE, NC — Charlotte has been a hot real estate market for over a year now, with people doing everything they can to get into their dream home.
Some go so far as to write so-called “love letters” to convince current owners to sell their homes. Some people have wondered if it’s legal to pour out on a landlord why you deserve to buy their house.
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THE QUESTION
Is it illegal to write a “love letter” to a home seller in the Carolinas?
OUR SOURCES
THE ANSWER
No, it’s not illegal to write a love letter to a house seller in the Carolinas. However, you should be careful what you write in the letter and stick to talking about the property itself.
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WHAT WE FOUND
North Carolina realtor David Hoffman says a love letter is basically what it sounds like. A potential buyer would write to the seller telling him how his family would like the house and why he likes it.
“Once there’s a bidding war and there are multiple buyers for few houses, buyers say, ‘OK, I want to show the seller why we’re standing out and pulling at the heartstrings'” , Hoffman said.
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Hoffman said those “love letters” themselves aren’t illegal. However, you have to be careful what you write there.
“There are a lot of classes that are protected, like family classes, you know you can’t talk about your son or your daughter, you can’t talk about your husband or your wife,” Hoffman said.
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The National Association of Estate Agents cautions members against using love letters to help clients get their dream home. It is because of these protected classes. The Fair Housing Act prevents anyone involved in renting or selling homes from discriminating on the basis of race, gender, disability, religion and family status.
“The buyer’s agent could be disciplined or fined or have their license suspended,” Hoffman said.
This is the danger of these “love letters”, they could convince a seller to give the author of the letter a love agreement based on shared experiences or values. Hoffman said your best bet is to talk about the property itself.
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