Real estate letters to potential sellers in NYC

[Benny]

Do the Realtors out there have any good real estate marketing letters and real estate letters to get listings? I'm looking for templates or samples of real estate letters to potential sellers in NYC that have worked for you before. Please share and thank you!

[aslan]

Address redacted, but here's a sample I've seen written by an agent to a FSBO seller of a pretty high end luxury condo in Midtown NYC ($20mm+). You probably won't see this type of offer very often, but given the very high price point it may be worth it.

Good Evening!

I am reaching out in regard to your listing at 450 Fifth Avenue Floor 5.

I noticed that you were offering 2% to the buyer's broker, however, have it listed as a 'For Sale By Owner'.

As I am sure you already know, FSBO listings tend to sit on the market quite a while longer than broker listed ones due to the fact that they are not listed on the RLS (REBNY Listing Service), which is the equivalent of NYC's MLS. As a result, buyers' agent won't dare risk losing a buyer client (especially at this price range) by introducing them to a FSBO listing. This is a serious problem considering that 90% of all deals in Manhattan are done between a buyer's agent and a listing agent. At this price range, the ratio of represented buyers is 100%.

What I'd like to offer you is something that you may not have been offered before. My principal broker and I are willing to exclusively list your property while offering any buyer's broker 2% without collecting any fees on our side. As a bonus, if we are the ones who find you a buyer, we will only collect 1%, saving you quite a bit of money. To reiterate, if we sell your apartment to a buyer who is represented by an agent, we will ask for nothing in return while the buyer's agent received 2% as you'd originally intended and if we are the one's to find a buyer, we will only collect 1%.

I would be more than happy to meet with you to discuss this opportunity in greater detail as well as tell you more about our brokerage firm. Our firm has an uncompromising determination to achieve excellence in everything we undertake. Our experience shows that if we serve our clients well, our own success will follow.

Kind regards,
Norman

[lower_nyc]

Sending out letters to potential sellers is really a numbers game in my opinion. If you've beta tested different solicitation approaches with colleagues/friends/family and are 100% confident in the quality of your pitch and the appearance of your marketing materials, then your hit rate should be in line with the market or even above average.

Just remember, you need to give people a reason to work with you. Simply mailing out a post card that says 'Call me for a free consultation' is a waste of time. To get an edge, you must think outside the box!