Making Your Offer

When you find the right home, what can you do to maximize your chances of actually getting it? The first step you should take is to make a prompt offer.

Whether you are in a buyers' or sellers' market, taking too much time to initiate an offer can cost you money, especially if you are planning to offer less than the asking price or will be asking for special terms. If your offer is the only one on the table, the sellers will consider it, and if they don't accept it, they may make a good counter offer. While you are "sleeping on it", however, you risk the possibility of another offer coming in. If another buyer appears on the scene, you lose an important advantage while you and the sellers are going back and forth with offers and counter offers. A buyer who really wants that special house will make the best possible offer --as quickly as possible.