When you find a property on the market that you think could be your dream home, you might worry that you're not the only one who's smitten with it. It can be heartbreaking to make an offer and see the seller go with someone else's bid.

There are many options available for buyers to strengthen their offer. One, writing a personal letter to the seller, can help establish a more personal connection and make your offer stand out. If you aren't careful, however, it can also make the seller less willing to consider you.

Buyer letters are most common in competitive markets, but can be included in any offer. Bob Hunt, writing for Realty Times, says the letter might be used to let the seller know which features of the property you like and how you plan to enjoy them.

The letter can also try to appeal to personal tastes shared by the buyer and seller. While sellers are often encouraged to remove personal items from the home before a showing, a buyer may be able to glean some information about the seller by what's on the bookshelf, whether the kitchen is set up for gourmet cooking, or other clues. Brendon Desimone, writing for the real estate site Zillow, says some buyers will even seek out information on a seller from their real estate agent, internet searches, or social media.

This strategy can sometimes be enough to win over a seller, especially since they're likely to have an emotional attachment to the property. They may be impressed by a buyer's passionate appeal and choose their offer, even if someone else is offering them more money. This is especially true if a seller is choosing between someone who wants to make the property their family home and someone who wants to buy the home as an investment property, perhaps even demolishing it.

However, you shouldn't get too sappy when writing the letter. Heather Ciras, writing for the Boston Globe, says it can be more effective if the letter demonstrates that you have the financial qualifications to buy the home and are serious about your offer, adding only a few personal touches.

While trying establish a personal connection can help strengthen your offer with some sellers, it might sabotage it with others. Some people might feel their privacy has been violated if the buyer does research on them to try to find out about their interests and personal tastes. A seller's circumstances may also make them less willing to be swayed by certain appeals. For example, a seller who is moving out due to a divorce may not be too inclined to favor a buyer who just got married and wants to find a home with their spouse.

One risk of writing a letter to the seller is that it will never be read. Christine Smith, writing for Realtor Mag, suggests that sellers are more concerned with the details of the offer than why the buyer wants the home. She suggests that 99 percent of sellers simply ignore personal letters.

A 2013 analysis of 10,000 offers by the real estate company Redfin reached a similar conclusion. While personal letters were found to increase an offer's chance of success by 9 percent, this strategy was not as effective as removing contingencies or having a pre-inspection of the home before making an offer. All-cash offers were the most effective strategy, increasing the chance of success by 28 percent.

If a seller does read the letter, they may be skeptical about its contents. Angela Colley, writing for the National Association of Realtors, says buyers should be sure to include specific details related to the property. If a buyer is simply submitting a form letter, a seller is unlikely to be impressed.

Sellers can also be skeptical of a buyer's letter if it is accompanying an offer that is significantly below the asking price. While the letter can make the case that the asking price is not in line with comparable properties, it can also ask for leniency based on hardships a buyer is facing or other issues. A seller might be swayed by these circumstances, but they could also be suspicious that the buyer is fabricating them.

One major risk of writing a letter to the seller is that it can weaken a buyer's negotiating position. Smith says that if a buyer sends an emotional letter about how much they love the property, the seller will most likely be unwilling to budge on the ensuing negotiations if they accept the offer.

Sellers may also worry that they could violate the Fair Housing Act if they decide on an offer based on a buyer's letter. The legislation is designed to protect buyers, renters, and those looking to secure a mortgage from discrimination based on race, sex, religion, national origin, disability, or the presence of children. Local legislation often includes additional protections; for example, Connecticut's Discriminatory Housing Practices Act forbids discrimination based on sexual orientation, marital status, or lawful source of income.

If there are multiple offers on a home and a seller chooses one based on a letter from the buyer, they could open themselves up to accusations of violating the Fair Housing Act and similar legislation. For example, if a seller opts to accept the offer from someone who says the home will be perfect for raising their children, a childless buyer whose offer was not accepted could charge that they were discriminated against.

Similarly, a buyer who disclosed personal information in their letter could charge that the seller discriminated against them if their offer was not accepted. Hunt says this issue was raised by an attorney at the 2016 annual meeting of the National Association of Realtors, which included the example of a minority buyer who included a picture of his family with a letter to the seller. The attorney noted that since the buyer's offer was rejected in favor of one with a lower price, the seller could have been accused of discriminating based on race.

Violations of the Fair Housing Act can result in a hefty fine. Under recently revised rules by the Department of Housing and Urban Development, a first-time fine can be up to $16,000.

Naturally, sellers don't want to incur such a penalty and might ignore any letters from buyers for this reason. Hunt says sellers are advised to keep a record of their reasons for accepting or rejecting offers as well, since this can help ward off accusations of discrimination.

A letter to the seller can make all the difference in a home offer, but may not be necessary or advisable. Buyers should consult with their real estate agent to get their advice on the matter.