Why the Highest Offer Doesn’t Always Win

The highest offer doesn’t always win the house. To make your offer as strong as possible, there are six big mistakes you need to avoid. 

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As a buyer, it’s still possible to get your dream home without having to empty your wallet. To make your offer as strong as possible without breaking the bank, there are six mistakes you need to avoid:

1. Not being flexible with the seller’s timeline. If, for instance, their house is vacant and they’re sitting on a hefty mortgage, they probably want to sell as quickly as possible. In this case, how quickly you can accommodate them depends on how much you’ve worked with your lender to prepare the necessary documentation to make your offer.

It’s also possible they haven’t found their next home to move into and they want to know that they’ll have a post-closing grace period to find that next home before they accept any offers. In this situation, it might be advantageous to agree to allow them to stay in the home after closing and rent it back from you until they can move out.

2. Not having your paperwork squared away.
If you’re not pre-approved before you make your offer, it won’t hold any weight with the seller, so make sure you get pre-approved. It doesn’t matter how good your offer is if you can’t guarantee your financing will process or not.



If your offer is rejected once, don’t give up.


3. Asking for too many concessions and/or contingencies. If the seller wants these kinds of things included in the deal, they’ll probably include them themselves.

4. Requesting too many things to be included with the property. If the seller specifically declares that a certain part of the home is excluded from the sale, I don’t recommend trying to include it.

5. Not expressing your love for the house. We all take pride in our homes, and sharing with the seller how much you appreciate their house and how much you look forward to taking care of it can make a big difference in whether your offer is accepted or not if you find yourself in a multiple-offer situation.

6. Giving up after your offer is rejected. If your offer is rejected once, don’t give up. A home sale is a process that involves some negotiation, so don’t be offended by a counteroffer you don’t like and possibly miss out on a great opportunity. Instead, keep the conversation going with the seller. 

If you’d like to know more about making your offer as strong as possible or you have any other real estate questions, don’t hesitate to reach out to me. I’d be happy to help you.