How Homebuyers Win Bidding Wars Without Having the Most Cash

Flattery is a tried-and-true negotiating strategy, but homebuyers in hot markets are making a bizarre art form out of kissing up.

In Austin, where homes are selling at record rates, it's common for homebuyers to include a personal appeal along with their offer paperwork and financing details. Usually that means a letter, to introduce the seller to the buyer's family and wax on about what the buyer loves about the house. But buyers are stepping up their games: Recent personal entreaties have included YouTube videos and baked goods, says Andrew Vallejo, a Redfin agent. "After they toured the property, they left a note for the seller on the kitchen counter about how much they loved the house," he says of one recent couple. "The next day they came back and hand-delivered cookies to the seller and to five or six of the seller's neighbors."