Yes, buyer letters are still around, and they can help at the margin when your offer is already competitive. In California there's a box on the listing agreement for whether the seller even wants to see them, since trade groups worry a letter can improperly sway which offer gets picked. If the seller opts in, letters are fair game. Leave photos out, since images can reveal things that shouldn't factor into the decision. A letter only works alongside a genuinely competitive offer. It can't rescue a weak price or shaky terms, but when two offers are close, a sincere story the seller relates to can tip the scale. Sellers who raised a family in a home often do care who ends up with it. We've seen a heartfelt letter win an accepted offer, and we've also seen buyers beat a higher investor bid because the sellers met them, liked them, and knew they planned to raise a family there. In our experience, meeting the seller face to face can move the needle even more than the letter itself. So write one if you want the home, keep it honest, and pair it with your strongest realistic offer. Just don't count on words alone to close a meaningful gap in price or terms.