Editor’s note: This post was originally published in 2013 and recommended “love letters” as a buyer strategy for Seattle home buyers. Guidance on this practice has changed significantly since then, and this post has been rewritten to reflect current thinking on the fair housing risk involved.
A “love letter” is a personal note a buyer sends along with an offer — sharing why they love the home, what they picture their life looking like there, sometimes with family photos attached. In Seattle’s competitive market, it used to be common advice for standing out. It’s not anymore, and there’s a real reason why.
Why Love Letters Raise Fair Housing Concerns
The Fair Housing Act prohibits a seller from choosing (or rejecting) an offer based on a buyer’s race, color, religion, sex, familial status, national origin, or disability. The problem with love letters isn’t that buyers write them with bad intent — it’s that these letters often reveal exactly this kind of protected information, even unintentionally. A description of kids celebrating a holiday around the fireplace reveals both familial status and religion. A mention of a cultural tradition reveals national origin. Once that information is in the seller’s hands, any decision that could be connected to it — even unconsciously — creates exposure.
The Washington REALTORS Association has warned against the use of love letters for exactly this reason, and the National Association of REALTORS has cautioned its members on this issue since 2020. It’s worth noting there’s some genuine debate in the industry about how much real-world risk this creates in practice — a handful of legal commentators point out that no confirmed lawsuit has been based specifically on a love letter. But the professional guidance from both NAR and Washington REALTORS leans clearly toward caution, and many Seattle-area listing agents now decline to forward these letters to their sellers at all.
What Actually Strengthens an Offer in Seattle
The good news is that the things that genuinely make an offer competitive in Seattle’s market have nothing to do with a personal letter. A seller evaluating offers objectively is looking at:
- The strength and clarity of your preapproval
- Your earnest money amount
- Your down payment and overall terms
- How few contingencies stand between offer and closing
A strong, fully-documented preapproval letter does more for your offer than a personal story ever will — and it does it without introducing any fair housing risk into the transaction. 👉 What Should Your Mortgage Preapproval Letter Include?
If you’re touring open houses, there’s also a simple, modern way to show up prepared: a digital credential you can share instantly with a QR code scan, instead of fumbling for a PDF on your phone. 👉 Introducing the Buyer’s Pass: A Smarter Way to Show Up at Open Houses
If you’re preparing an offer on a home in Seattle or anywhere in the Puget Sound area, I’m happy to make sure your preapproval is as strong as it can be — and set you up with your own Buyer’s Pass — that’s the piece of the puzzle that’s actually within your control.
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Last reviewed: July 2026
About Rhonda Porter
Hey Rhonda! I LOVE these “Home Letters” and have often used them when representing Buyers. They can make all the difference and set you apart from the pack. But just a heads up to Sellers in our market: You need to be very careful about these! Having a savy agent can make all the difference between having happy buyers and sellers, or a getting into a lawsuit! Here in King County and Seattle we have 12 protected classes under our Fair Housing laws. And accepting an offer for the reasons given in the Wall Street Journal article mentioned here could be asking for trouble. “Parential Status” is a protected class and if someone did not get the home because they did not have children the seller could be in big trouble. Here is a link that gives some detail.
http://www.kingcounty.gov/exec/CivilRights/FH.aspx
These laws vary in different localities and cities. But if sellers have any questions they should consult their Real Estate Broker or ask an attorney.
Jim, that’s an excellent point that I did not consider!