If you’re looking to buy a property in 2022, you’ll likely be up against offers from other motivated buyers. Use the tips below to make your offer stand out and increase your chances of having it accepted. The strategies you use will depend on the type and condition of the property, your level of motivation, and how much competition you have from other parties.
28 Ways to Write a Winning Offer
- To increase your chances of having your offer accepted, submit a mortgage pre-approval from a reputable, local lender. Some sellers may be hesitant to accept an offer from a buyer who is pre-approved by an out-of-town or big box lender, so working with a local bank or credit union may be more advantageous.
- If you want a loan fast, look for a local lender who can give you a commitment in two weeks or less. Some lenders can get the job done this quickly, so if you need more information, please contact us.
- It can be helpful to have your mortgage lender reach out to the listing agent when you submit an offer on a property. This can give the seller more confidence that you will be able to successfully close on the sale.
- To get the best results in the current market, partner with a real estate agent who has a proven track record. It’s even better to work with a team of agents, who can be more flexible in meeting your time-sensitive needs for viewing a property and writing an offer.
- The seller’s preferred closing date should be written into your offer. This will make the seller more likely to accept your offer.
- If you want your offer to stand out, write a higher than average earnest money amount. The typical earnest money check is 1% of the offer price, so an above average amount would be more than that.
- You will make a stronger impression by including your earnest money with your offer.
- If you are able to, put down a deposit of 20%-25% when creating a financing contingency. This will help you to be ahead of other buyers who are putting down less money.
- If you’re unsure about whether or not to include an appraisal contingency in your offer to purchase, talk to your buyer agent. There are both positives and negatives to including one, and your agent can help you figure out what’s best for you.
- If you want to make your offer stronger, make it a cash offer. Even if you don’t have enough cash to cover the purchase price, you can still submit a cash offer. If your offer is accepted, you can then finance the purchase with a mortgage. This type of offer is called a financeable cash offer. To learn more about how to make a financeable cash offer, contact us.
- Do not make your offer to buy a new home contingent on the sale of your old home. Get pre-approved financing that does not require you to sell your old home in order to buy the new one. You can work with your agent to sell your old home and buy the new one on the same day. The following article provides tips on buying and selling at the same time.
- This allows the seller to remedy any defects in the home that are found during the inspection period. Without this contingency, the seller may think you might back out of the offer.
- You should think about whether you want to have a radon testing contingency in your offer. If you’re in a situation where you’re competing with other buyers, you might want to test for radon after you purchase your home. You should talk to your buyer agent about the advantages and disadvantages of this approach.
- An alternative to asking the seller to pay for a home warranty when buying a house is to hire a good home inspector. A home inspection will identify necessary repairs, which you and your agent can then negotiate as part of your home inspection contingency.
- Do not ask the seller to cover any additional fees. Things like closing costs can eat into the seller’s profits and stop you from getting the home you really want.
- Don’t include the contingency of reviewing deed restrictions and covenants in your offer. Do your research ahead of time and review these documents before you make your offer. If you’re happy with what you see, then submit your offer to purchase without this contingency.
- There are other strategies you can use in a multiple offer situation, such as an “escalation clause” or “writing first and countering last”. Contact us to discuss how these strategies can be used to your benefit.
- It is best to have as short of a contingency deadline as possible for each step of the buying process (financing, inspection, etc.). By doing this, it will be more likely that the sale goes through without any issues. Talk to your buyer agent about an appropriate number of days for each contingency.
- The best way to submit your offer on a For Sale By Owner property is by hand delivery. This gives your agent a chance to speak to the seller in person and explain your interest in the property. It also helps to build rapport between you and the seller.
- One of our agents can tell you more about a modified inspection contingency that puts a limit on credits or requests for repairs that come from the home inspection.
- A modified appraisal contingency gives the seller reassurance that you will not back out of the offer if the appraised value is lower than the contract price. For more information on this contingency, contact one of our team members.
- If you agree to waive the appraisal contingency or agree to a modified appraisal contingency, you must provide “proof of funds” which shows that you have the ability to bring more cash to closing if the appraised value is lower than the contract price.
- You should work with a experienced buyer agent who is willing to communicate your interests to the listing agent. Many buyer agents rely too heavily on texts and emails when they should be calling the listing agent and explaining the benefits of your offer. If you are up against other offers, your buyer agent’s communication style could be the difference between your offer being accepted or not.
- If you want to make an offer on a house before seeing it in person, talk to your buyer’s agent about how to do this.
- The seller will be able to move out more easily if you allow them to rent back the property from you for a short period of time after the sale is complete.
- One way to make your offer more appealing to a seller is to offer to pay some or all of the seller’s closing costs. By doing this, you can showing the seller that you are willing to help with their financial interests, without making the appraised value of the home come in below the contract price.
- If you want to make your offer more competitive, you could offer to pay some or all of the seller’s property tax. This is only recommended for very competitive offers.
- If you want to make your offer more competitive, you can make a portion of your earnest money non-refundable. This means that if the deal falls through, you won’t get that money back.
More Thoughts on Writing a Winning Offer
If you want to increase your chances of success, include winning strategies in your offer. Price is not always the most important factor. The overall tone of the negotiation and who the seller trusts is usually more important. Work with an agent who sets a positive tone during the negotiation and helps you assemble a great offer.
The following strategies are for when there are multiple offers on a property and it is a hot seller’s market. Please note that these strategies may change over time and every offer is unique. Seek advice from your attorney or buyer agent when making offers on a property.
Offer A Leaseback
A leaseback is when the seller leases the property from the buyer after the sale is complete. This can be useful for people who are selling their primary residence, as it eliminates the risk of having to move out before the deal is finalized.
A leaseback can be structured in multiple ways. For example, a security deposit may be requested and a certain amount may be charged per day to pay the mortgage while the seller maintains occupancy. In a competitive market, these details can be waived to make the offer more attractive.
Be sure that your real estate agent includes all of the terms in the contract or provisional lease agreement. If they are not handled properly, leasebacks can be a nightmare.
Include an Appraisal Gap Clause
Home buyers in a competitive real estate market will often try to get their offer accepted by using an appraisal gap. An appraiser will usually appraise a home for less than its contract price when homes appreciate faster than appraisers can justify. If the appraised value is too low, it can cause the deal to fall through entirely.
If a home is listed at $500,000 and the selling price is $550,000, this may present a problem. If the appraised value is $500,000, the buyers may need to bring an additional $50,000 cash to the table. The seller may have to lower the contract price to $500,000 in order to close the deal. There are times when the contract does not go through because a solution cannot be found.
When a buyer offers to cover the appraisal gap, they are stating that they have extra funds to make up the difference between the appraised value and the contract price. By waiving their appraisal contingency, the buyer is also giving the seller extra assurance that they will not be in a position where they have to lower the price of their home.
If you are a seller and you agree to a lower price because of an appraisal gap, make sure that the buyers have the money to cover the difference. Some buyers will offer to pay the difference in order to get the contract accepted, but they may not actually have the money to do so.
If you’re thinking of offering an appraisal gap to the buyer, it’s important to understand the implications of this decision. You’ll be paying much more than the home is worth on the market, and if the real estate market crashes soon after you purchase the home, you could be stuck with an overpriced house.
Offer More Earnest Money
The deposit of earnest money is a way for the buyer to show that they are committed to the purchase of a property. This deposit is typically between 1-2% of the sales price and is a way for the seller to remove their property from the market.
If the deal falls through for any number of reasons, the buyer is allowed to take back their earnest money. This can be due to home inspection issues or problems with financing. Furthermore, disputes over earnest money are not uncommon in the world of real estate.
If you’re looking to make your offer stand out, you can do so by offering more earnest money than what’s typically requested. You can also make your earnest money non-refundable, which signals to the seller that you’re committed to buying the property and that your offer is stronger than ones that come with contingencies.
Position Yourself to be Flexible
As a home buyer in a competitive market, it is beneficial to be adaptable to meet the specific requests of the seller. Each seller has different wants and needs. If you are able to act quickly and satisfy their requests, you will be ahead of other buyers who are vying for the same property.
If you are trying to sell your house before buying another one, you may need to get creative. This is because sellers with multiple offers on their property will not accept contracts that are contingent on another home selling. In other words, sellers are looking for the least amount of contingencies and delays as possible.
Think about selling your house and renting an Air BnB or other short-term rental to have more freedom. This is a dangerous choice when there isn’t a lot of housing available, but it might help you convince the seller to agree to your offer.
Lenders and Realtors are coming up with new ways to buy homes as the demand for homes increases annually. Do some research on companies in your area that offer to buy another home before selling your own property.
Close Extra Fast on Vacant Homes
If you’re making an offer on a vacant home, the seller will want to close the deal as soon as possible.
You should try to close on vacant properties as quickly as possible. This is because mortgage lenders usually specify how long it will take to close, so you need to coordinate your timeline with them. Getting your mortgage pre-underwritten will help with this. You should also hire a lender who is able to close quickly, so that you have an advantage when it comes to vacant properties.
Summary
As a homebuyer in a competitive market, you may feel stressed and pressured when your offer is rejected. It can be exhausting watching other buyers win homes that you were interested in. The following tips may help you feel more empowered the next time you make an offer on a home.
The different tactics mentioned in the article range from mild to extreme, so you can mix and match different variations depending on the circumstances. Send the article to your Realtor so you can use it as a reference point when submitting your next offer.
You should remain optimistic and continue improving your skills at drafting contracts. If you keep at it, eventually you will be able to get a property under contract.
