Before you send it
- Send it to the listing agent, not the homeowner. The agent is the one who can present it.
- One property per email. If an agent holds several listings you want, send several emails.
- Do not add a pitch. The short question at the top is what gets answered. Everything you add costs you replies.
- Run the numbers first. The calculator in this kit gives you the three figures you need.
The letter
Replace the four highlighted fields. Everything else stays as written.
Subject: Inquiry regarding [PROPERTY ADDRESS]
Hey [AGENT FIRST NAME],
Looking for another rental in the area, would seller entertain a
six-figure down payment option at list price with a short balloon
for the remaining equity?
PROPOSED TRANSACTION TERMS
Purchase Price: [LIST PRICE]
Transaction Structure:
Down payment at closing: [DOWN PAYMENT]
Agent commission comes out of down payment (No buyer agent)
We will cover all closing costs.
The entire [REMAINING BALANCE] will be paid in full through a
balloon payment due in seventy-two (72) months.
Your seller no longer has any responsibilities on this property
once we close.
[YOUR NAME]
[YOUR COMPANY]
P: [YOUR PHONE]
E: [YOUR EMAIL]Purchase price is the full list price. Down payment is 30% of it. The remaining balance is what is left. On a $400,000 listing: $120,000 down, $280,000 balloon.
Why each line is there
Full asking price
The agent's job is to defend the price. Offer it in full and that argument never starts. You are not negotiating price, you are negotiating terms, which is a conversation almost nobody else is having with them.
"Agent commission comes out of down payment"
This is the line that gets your offer presented instead of deleted. The agent reads it as: I get paid at closing, in cash, the normal amount. Without it, a creative offer looks to them like a threat to their commission.
"No buyer agent"
You are not bringing an agent, so there is no split. Their whole commission stays theirs.
"Your seller no longer has any responsibilities"
This is the actual product you are selling. A tired landlord wants out of tenants, repairs, property taxes, and phone calls at 11pm. Say that plainly and you are speaking to the reason they listed in the first place.
Seventy-two months
Six years of rent, appreciation, and control before the balloon is due. Long enough to refinance, resell, or pay it off from the property's own performance. Written out in words because it reads as a term, not a countdown.
Following up
Reply in the same email thread. Do not restate the offer and do not add new terms. Two follow-ups is the whole sequence.
The day-7 line works because it gives them an easy out. Agents answer it to close the loop, and a surprising number of those answers are "actually, let's talk."
What a reply looks like
Most replies are a question, not a yes. "What do you mean by balloon?" and "Is your buyer qualified?" are the two you will see most. Both mean the offer got presented. Open the call script in this kit and book the conversation rather than answering in a long email.