Case Study #1: Strategies to Win (Even If You're Not the Highest Offer)

By Hunter Letendre

The Case Study Series is dedicated to breaking down real scenarios that my clients and I have experienced. These are the real stories, strategies, and outcomes—written by me to give you a clear, unfiltered look at how real estate really works in today’s market.

All stories are true. Names and exact locations have been changed to protect confidentiality.

Case Study 1: Strategies to Win (Even If You're Not the Highest Offer)

The first case study in this series looks at a collection of client stories, instead of just one. As we have navigated the early 2020s deep in the seas of the Seller’s Market, and now steadily make our way toward the shore of a Neutral Market, I want to discuss one of the most common questions I am asked by my buyer clients:

“How are we going to win the home if we can’t compete on price?”

This case study explores several real stories of my clients who won the home in a competitive, multiple-offer situation, without relying on offering the highest price.

The Bird House

When my clients and I first walked into this particular home, it was immediately and abundantly clear that the homeowner had a major thing for birds. Bird wallpaper, bird statues and trinkets, bird decals on the windows, bird paintings, big birds, little birds, colorful birds—everywhere you looked, birds.

I often advocate, depending on the situation, for my buyer clients to write a “buyer letter” to the owner of the home to which they are making an offer. The letter is intended to share a bit about yourself, why you love the home, and why you are the right person to be the next owner. Sometimes, the homeowner does not care and is not swayed by these letters whatsoever; other times, they make all the difference. As a side note, it is important to review Fair Housing guidelines when crafting or accepting buyer letters.

Later, my clients forwarded me the letter they had written to include with their offer. The content was standard; they explained why they loved the house, from the location to the gardens, and so on. Around the edge of the letter, however, they had included a pretty border design to frame it.

Flowers, trees, and birds. Lots of little birds peeking out of the foliage, all around the edges of the paper. It was subtle, but unmistakable. Their letter now matched the house quite perfectly.

Needless to say, they won. I was later told by the seller’s agent that not only was their offer not the highest received, it was among the lowest, but for some reason, the seller just really liked my clients.

Take What You Want, Leave What You Don’t

This is a strategy I have now had several clients use with success, but one story stands out in particular.

Often, when house hunting, you encounter homes with a lot of stuff. Things accumulate, especially when someone has owned the home for a very long time. In these circumstances, I might suggest a client add the following clause to their offer:

"Seller may leave any furniture, furnishings, or personal belongings currently located at the property that they do not wish to remove."

Of course, as the buyer, to use this clause you must understand that you might end up with a lot of junk to sort through or throw out. If that’s okay with you, and you’re prepared to rent a dumpster or host a yard sale, I have seen this clause work wonders.

In my favorite story of this clause’s success, I was told directly by the seller’s agent that they had several similar offers in hand, my client’s among them. But the seller (who was moving on to assisted living) was so grateful for the addition of that clause that they moved forward with my client—no counteroffer or negotiating required.

Sometimes, the willingness to throw a little extra elbow grease at the problem is all you need.

Find a Loan Officer Who Fights for You

The loan officer is the team member of the homebuying process that I feel most often gets overlooked. Just as you would not hire a random Realtor without any knowledge of their skills or credentials, you should use the same fine-tooth comb when picking your loan officer.

• Your loan officer is who we call at 6:00 PM on a Sunday because we just learned your dream home has a 9:00 AM offer deadline, and we need to run numbers ASAP.

• Your loan officer is who can make themselves available to advocate for you if the seller’s agent calls to verify your pre-approval.

• Your loan officer is who can overturn all the financing stones and find things like appraisal waivers waiting to be used.

Let’s talk about appraisal waivers. Appraisals are the often-dreaded (but in my opinion, rarely an issue) aspect of the financing process when buying a home. When you have an offer accepted, your mortgage lender sends an appraiser to verify the bank’s perceived value of the property. They want to make sure they can retrieve the amount you are borrowing by selling the home, in case you default on the loan.

If the appraisal comes back too low, it can throw a wrench in the sale and cause the buyer and seller to renegotiate or even terminate the contract.

An appraisal waiver can be granted when the mortgage lender is confident enough in the home’s value (and typically the borrower has a large down payment) that the appraisal can be skipped, and therefore cannot cause any issue.

Often, it’s not as easy as pressing a button for a loan officer to determine if you can be granted an appraisal waiver. It requires additional research and advocacy. This lack of advocacy is why many loan officers have not made the cut to be a preferred recommendation for my clients.

Picture this: the home is fantastic but unique, and it doesn’t have many similar properties to compare to. The seller and their agent are concerned about the appraisal. Then, you come along with an offer—and attached to it is an appraisal waiver. Suddenly, all their appraisal fears are lifted, and your offer stands out among the rest.

This has happened many times throughout my career.

Be the Most Reliable, Don’t Let Them Forget You

I like to tell my clients that the universe is going to put them in the home they’re meant to have. So many times, I have seen heartbreak over a rejected offer, only for those clients to later tell me they were grateful to have lost that house, because the one they ended up with was so much more right.

This is not one of those stories.

My clients loved everything about this house. It was perfect for them—I loved it too! Charming, beautifully maintained, seriously adorable, the best yard on the street. We crafted a compelling offer, wrote a letter to the seller, and I went through my usual intensive preparation to present the offer.

They lost, and they were devastated. And frankly, I was shocked. I was sure we had that one in the bag.

Not to be dissuaded, I let my clients know we still had an option—just be there. They agreed. I made sure the seller and their agent knew that my clients still wanted that house and that we would still be there if anything changed. I followed up, and I made sure they did not forget about us.

Two weeks later, out of nowhere, I get a call.

“The offer we accepted fell through—are your clients still interested? I need to know now.”

Right then, I told her yes. Then I got on the phone with my clients, and we bent over backward to secure that paperwork by the end of the day. I remember it vividly—I was driving on backroads in Costa Rica, typing out a fresh contract on my phone with spotty cell service.

Calling my clients to let them know things had come back around was an absolute highlight of my career. The universe put them in the house they were meant to be in, but it was because they did not give up, and we made sure they were not forgotten.

On that note—YOU NEED TO MAKE AN IMPRESSION AT OPEN HOUSES, AND YOUR AGENT NEEDS TO BE THERE WITH YOU.

This is a pet peeve of mine, if you couldn’t tell. Of course, myself and other Realtors have many clients to take care of and personal lives as well—it isn’t possible to be at every open house. But assuming I don’t have another client that needs me, I am there with you. Or, I’ll be returning with you at the next opportunity.

The seller’s agent is your line to the seller. What they see, the seller sees. What they think or interpret, the seller thinks and interprets.

We want them to remember you. To think, “Oh! They came to the open house, they were so nice, and their Realtor was very professional!”

It’s crucial, and it’s overlooked. This entire process has a foundational pillar in perception and assumptions—we want to be perceived as easy to work with, trustworthy, and a solid bet. It’s much harder for the seller’s side to do that if they don’t know anything about you, or the team behind you.

“Oh, I remember you guys! Your clients had the adorable baby, right? And you said they have an appraisal waiver, too?” – Something that has actually been said to me after calling the seller’s agent post-open house, and then we won.

The Inspection Minimum

This is another scenario that arises so often that it’s difficult for me to choose one instance of success.

If you’ve followed the seller’s market of 2020–2024, you’re likely aware that many homebuyers have resorted to waiving home inspections. This is a complicated issue, but the point of this story is to explain that this doesn’t need to be an either/or issue. There are middle-ground solutions that can work very well. Here is what the clause looks like:

"If the results of the home inspection reveal repair, removal or remediation costs that are $_________ or less, Buyer waives their rights under the contract in writing and said results shall be deemed satisfactory to the Buyer. If the results of the home inspection reveal repair, removal or remediation costs that exceed $__________, Buyer retains all rights as set forth under the contract."

Essentially, this means that you, as the buyer, are taking responsibility for up to $X in repairs. I have seen this be anywhere from $2,000 to $20,000. It is up to the buyer’s comfort.

This clause often works wonders on properties that have a clear need for some repairs or cosmetic work. Sellers and their agents will be concerned that a buyer may try to nickel and dime them after the home inspection. Using this clause can help you stand out against offers requesting a standard home inspection with no minimum included.

To wrap this up, price matters, but it’s far from the only thing that wins a home. Strategy, creativity, professionalism, and tenacity often speak louder than numbers. If you're working with an agent who knows how to leverage every possible advantage, you might just land your dream home—even when the odds seem stacked against you.

Disclaimer: The scenarios and clauses described in this post are for illustrative purposes only and are based on past client experiences. They are not intended to serve as legal or financial advice. Always consult with your own legal counsel, real estate professional, or financial advisor before including any clause in a real estate contract.

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