First probate letter drafted and I think it sounds like a robot
I pulled 40 filings from my county's probate court records last week, the ones where real property showed up in the inventory, and I've got names and mailing addresses for the personal representatives. Now I have to actually write to them and I've rewritten the letter six times.
What I have is one page. It says who I am, that I buy houses in the area, that I understand they may have inherited a property, and that if they'd rather not deal with cleaning it out and listing it I can make a cash offer and close on their timeline. Phone number, my name, no logo.
What's bothering me:
The words "I'm sorry for your loss" are in there and I can't tell if they belong. Coming from a stranger who found their name in a court file, it might read as fake. But leaving it out reads cold, like I'm writing to a business. I've moved it to the top, to the bottom, cut it entirely, and none of the versions feel right.
Second thing. The filings tell me the case number and the decedent's name. Do I use the decedent's name in the letter? Saying "regarding the estate of Mary Ellis" is clear and probably why they'll open it. It also announces that I've been reading court paperwork about their dead mother. I lean toward the property address instead but then some of them won't know which property I mean if there's more than one.
Third, and this is the one I actually can't decide: handwritten or printed. Handwritten on 40 letters is maybe four hours and I have the time. Everyone says handwritten gets opened. It also feels like a trick, because it's a trick, that's the whole reason it works.
I'm not asking whether probate mail works. I'm asking whether a person who just buried a parent would read my letter and feel respected or feel hunted, and I genuinely can't tell from inside my own draft. I'm going to sit on it another few days before anything goes out.