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New York Times Insults Desperate HomeSellers
By encinoman
In that delightfully self-righteous way they like to portray as ‘reasonable’, the New York Times offers a template letter for potential buyers to send to home sellers. Here are some selections to savor for its astonishing mixture of chutzpah and hubris.
“Dear Seller:
I’m writing to let you know that I would like to make a bid on your property…But given that my offer is well below your asking price, I also feel I owe you an explanation.
First, consider the big picture. Nationwide, home prices in the first quarter of 2008 fell 14.1 percent…the biggest decline in the 20-year history of the data. As of the end of April, the total number [of existing homes on the market] was 4.55 million…an 11.2-month supply.
So buyers have options right now. A lot of them. I’m no different. Your home is great, but it isn’t unique. Few homes are. I know this may be hard to hear, since you’ve spent years creating memories here. But you may be waiting a long time if you hope to find a buyer with the same emotional connection that you have.
It will be tempting to view my low bid as an insult. Please don’t make that mistake. Your home is genuinely appealing, and I wouldn’t have written this note unless I was serious about buying it. Getting a firm offer in this market is an accomplishment. So congratulations!”
“Congratulations” indeed. As far as I’m concerned, the only possible response to such a letter would be “Dear Asshole: Fuckoff and die. Have a nice day.”
Tags: real-estate-crisis
This entry was posted on June 2, 2008 at 6:09 pm and is filed under Journalism, New-York-Times, public-relations-disaster.
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