Rob and Julia Israch won a fierce bidding war for a three-bedroom townhouse in Mountain View, Calif., late last year even though their $750, 000 offer─while $92, 000 above the asking price─was topped by 11 rivals and was several thousand dollars below the highest bid.
去年年底，在针对加州山景城(Mountain View)一处拥有三间卧室的排屋展开的竞价大战中，罗伯•伊萨拉(Rob Israch)和朱莉娅•伊萨拉(Julia Israch)夫妇最终胜出。其实他们为这处住宅的开价750,000美元──比房主的要价高了92,000美元──比最高报价低了几千美元，而且还有11位竞争者的报价在他们之上。
A key reason: The seller, software engineer Lev Stesin, was moved by a letter in which the Israchs said they worked in the technology industry and explained how the home's spacious layout would be perfect given the imminent arrival of their first child. Among other things, the townhouse has three bathrooms, a wood-burning fireplace and a roomy backyard.
他们之所以胜出，关键在于：身为软件工程师的卖家列弗•斯捷辛(Lev Stesin)被他们的一封信打动了。伊萨拉夫妇在信里写到，他们在科技行业工作。信中还解释了考虑到他们即将出世的第一个孩子，这处布局宽敞的住宅将会是完美之选。这处排屋还有三个卫生间、一个燃木壁炉和一处宽敞的后院。
'I felt very comfortable with these people, '' said Mr. Stesin, himself the father of a toddler. 'I really wanted this place to go to somebody in a similar situation.''
斯捷辛自己也是一位父亲，孩子还处在蹒跚学步的年纪。他说：“与他们相处，让我感觉很舒服。我很希望将这房子卖给与自己情况相似的人。”
In an echo of the last housing boom, ardent pitch letters from eager home buyers are popping up again in hot U.S. real-estate markets like Silicon Valley, Seattle, San Diego, suburban Chicago and Washington, D.C., housing economists and real-estate brokers say.
房产经济学家和房地产经纪商称，与楼市步入新一轮繁荣期相呼应的是，在像硅谷、西雅图、圣地亚哥、芝加哥郊区和华盛顿特区这样的美国房产热区，再次冒出了出自殷切买家之手、热情洋溢的竞购信件。
The heartfelt missives, often accompanied by personal photos, aim to create an emotional bond that can give their writers an edge─especially in situations where multiple bidders are vying for the same house. And the reappearance of buyer pitches, also known as love letters, offers further evidence that the housing market is rebounding after a five-year slump.
这些衷心真诚的信件常常连同私人照片一起寄到房主手中，买家希望藉此与卖家生成一条感情的纽带、增加自己的优势──尤其是在多位竞购者为同一处住宅争得头破血流的时候。买家竞购信(也被称为情书)的重现进一步印证，房产市场在经历五年的低迷期后开始反弹。
Last year is likely to have been the first since 2006 in which home prices rose. Meanwhile, inventory is tight. There were just 2.14 million existing homes for sale at the end of October, down about 22% from a year ago to the lowest level in a decade, the National Association of Realtors estimates. Sales of existing homes in November rose 14.5% from a year earlier.
去年可能是自2006年以来首次出现房价上涨。与此同时，房屋库存紧张。据全美地产经纪商协会(National Association of Realtors)统计，在10月底，仅有214万套现房待售，较上年同期下降了22%，创10年来最低水平。11月份现房销售量比上年同期增长14.5%。
'The market has gotten so crazy that money alone doesn't talk, '' explained Glenn Kelman, chief executive of Redfin, a real-estate brokerage that operates in 19 markets. In 2012, 70% of the offers handled by Redfin agents faced competing bids. In Silicon Valley, the figure was 95%.
业务遍及19个市场的房地产经纪机构红鳍(Redfin)首席执行长格伦•科尔曼(Glenn Kelman)解释说：“房产市场已变得如此狂热，光用钱是买不到房子的。”2012年，由红鳍中介人员经手的房屋买方报价中有70%面临竞价。而在硅谷，这一数字高达95%。
'It's really a seller's market, '' said Mrs. Israch, a Facebook account manager. 'This market is ridiculous.'' She and her husband, a senior manager at NetSuite, submitted their first pitch letter while bidding for a different Mountain View townhouse last fall. They lost that one, outbid by seven of the 11 other would-be buyers.
Facebook客户经理朱莉娅•伊萨拉说：“这真的是个卖方市场。伊萨拉房市完全没有理性可言。”在去年秋天竞购山景城另一处排屋时，她与在网速公司(NetSuite)担任高级经理的丈夫提交了第一封竞购信。但在与其他11位潜在买家的较量中，有七位竞争者的出价高于他们，伊萨拉夫妇最终没能买下那处住宅。
A pitch letter worked during Sandy S. Kuo and Syed Ahmad's third attempt to buy a home in nearby Saratoga, Calif. The Microsoft and International Business Machines managers began house hunting in earnest after their July wedding. They had written letters unsuccessfully before. This time, they went into more detail about why they felt at home in a three-bedroom ranch listed for about $1.05 million.
竞购信在桑迪•S.郭(Sandy S. Kuo)与赛义德•艾哈迈德(Syed Ahmad)夫妇的第三次尝试中起了作用。他们这次竞购的是加州萨拉托加(Saratoga)的一处住宅。这对夫妇分别在微软(Microsoft)与IBM(International Business Machines)担任管理职务，他们在6月份完婚以后就开始一门心思地找房。之前他们也曾写过信，但都没有成功。这一次，他们深挖了更多的细节，详述了为什么这处以105万美元挂牌出售、拥有三间卧室的农场式平房住宅会让他们有家的感觉。
'We imagined how we could set up the patio for BBQs, we discussed where our future baby's nursery could be, '' their two-page letter explained.
他们在长达两页的信中这样写道，“我们想象着该如何布置户外烧烤的露台，我们还讨论了未来的宝宝房可能在哪里。”
Gary Barnett, who was selling the house on behalf of his late mother, said the letter 'was very nicely done.'' But with a $1.13 million bid, he said, 'they also had the best offer.'' The sale closed Nov. 15.
代表已故母亲出售该房产的盖瑞•巴内特(Gary Barnett)在评价这封信时说：“写得非常好。”而对于113万美元的报价，巴内特说，“他们给出的价钱也是最好的”。这笔交易在11月15日完成。
Extra effort involving a pitch letter paid off for Jonathan Duryee, a civilian management trainee for the U.S. Navy. He initially failed to snag a four-bedroom home in San Diego last October despite sending the seller a letter with four pictures of himself, his wife Nancy and their 10-month-old son. After the original buyer withdrew, he emailed the seller a new photo of his baby and two dogs around a handwritten sign that read: 'We would love a big yard!'
包括竞购信在内的额外努力给身为美国海军平民管培生的乔纳森•杜里埃(Jonathan Duryee)带来了回报。去年10月份，尽管他寄了一封信给卖主，还附上了自己、妻子南茜(Nancy)和10个月儿子的四张照片，但杜里埃起初并未如愿买下圣地亚哥那处要价549,900美元、带有四间卧室的住宅。在原先的买主退出后，杜里埃又给卖方发了一封电子邮件，里面有他儿子的新照片，还有一个手写的标语：“我们会爱上大院儿的！”标语两旁是两条狗。
'It really made me try to put these kids into the house, '' said Scott Pursell, a veteran builder who was selling the home, which he acquired as a rental property 20 years ago. He even rejected an all-cash offer $25, 000 below the Duryees' $550, 000 bid for the $549, 900 dwelling.
卖主斯科特•珀塞尔(Scott Pursell)是一名经验丰富的建筑工人，20年前买下了该房产并将其作为租赁物业。他说：“那封邮件真的让我想将这些孩子带进这房子。”珀塞尔甚至拒掉了一位愿现金全款支付的买主，对方的报价比杜里埃给出的550,000美元低了25,000美元。
Pitch letters prove particularly effective when they create a personal connection with longtime occupants. Last fall, Judy Blankenburg and her sister decided to sell their three-bedroom childhood residence in Los Altos, another Silicon Valley community. Their mother, who died in July, had called it home for 68 years.
当竞购信让你和长期住户建立起一层人际关系的时候，就会特别有效。去年秋天，朱迪•布兰肯堡(Judy Blankenburg)和她的妹妹决定出售她们儿时曾居住过的一处带三间卧室的房屋，该房产位于另一个硅谷社区洛斯拉图斯(Los Altos)。她们的母亲在这个被她称为“家”的地方度过了68个年头，于今年7月份去世。
'My sister and I had a huge emotional attachment to that house, '' said Ms. Blankenburg, a retired chemical analyst. 'We didn't want it torn down.''
布兰肯堡是一名退休的化学分析师，她说，“我妹妹和我对这所房子有着深厚的感情，我们不想拆掉它。”
The sisters accepted a bid that came in about $200, 000 above their $1.8 million asking price from a Los Altos couple keen to raise their three daughters on a quieter street.
这对姐妹接受了来自洛斯拉图斯的萨思绥(Sastry)夫妇200,000美元的报价，高出她们180,000美元的要价。买家渴望自己的三个女儿能在安静一点的街区上长大。
'From the majestic trees and the lush foliage in the front and backyards to the living room with high ceiling made of knotty pine, your home is filled with charm, '' the Sastry family said in their letter. They moved in Dec. 15.
萨思绥一家在信上这样写道：“从前门后院的参天大树、繁茂树荫到起居室内用节松制成的高高的天花板，你们的房子充满了魅力。”12月15日，萨思绥一家便搬进了新家。
Ms. Blankenburg said her parents, avid gardeners, would have been pleased by the buyers' fondness for trees. But she realizes the letter isn't a commitment.
布兰肯堡说，她的父母都是狂热的园艺爱好者，若得知买家也喜爱树木一定会非常高兴。但她意识到，这封信并不是一份承诺。
'Three months from now, I may drive by and find they tore [the house] down, '' she said.
她说：“也许三个月后，我开车经过那里，然后发现他们已经拆掉了(那所房子)。”
Kantha Sastry said she and her husband don't know whether they might one day tear down the 1938 home. But some Silicon Valley brokers have seen that scenario play out before.
坎塔•萨思绥(Kantha Sastry)称，她和丈夫也不知道会不会有一天会拆掉这所建于1938年的住宅。但之前，硅谷的一些经纪商确曾目睹过这样的戏码上演。
A few years ago, the owners of an older Los Altos home got more than 21 offers and picked the one from a woman who also submitted a love letter from her dog, said Kathy Bridgman, an Alain Pinel Realtors agent who represented the sellers.
阿兰皮内尔房产经纪公司(Alain Pinel Realtors)中介工作人员、身为卖方代理的凯西•布里奇曼(Kathy Bridgman)说，几年前，在洛斯拉图斯有一处很老的住宅出售，当时房主收到了超过21份购房意愿，并从中选出了一位女士的申请，那位女士替自家的狗狗也提交了情书。
'She won't touch a thing, ' promised the letter, signed with a paw print. 'I will be able to play in the yard.''
那封信是这样承诺的，“将来，她不会动这儿的一草一木，而我则可以在后院玩耍。”信件上还有一只爪印作为签名。
After closing, the buyer immediately tore down the home and built a bigger one.
但在交易结束后，买家立马拆掉了老房子，一座更大的新宅子在原址拔地而起。
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