You have found your dream home and are ready to make it official. To have the best chance at getting your offer accepted, check out these five must-do tips.
1. Get pre-approved & provide proof with your offer.
If you will be getting a loan for the purchase of your home, talk with a lender to get pre-approved for a mortgage, then include a copy of your pre-approval with your offer. This pre-approval letter shows the seller that you are serious and further down the home-buying process than someone who is not pre-approved. While it is not a loan commitment, it shows that a bank or mortgage company has preliminarily reviewed your credit and believes you will qualify for a loan up to a certain amount (which will be stated in the letter). All of this helps the seller feel more confident in your intent and financial ability to buy their home.
2. Offer more earnest money.
Offering 1%–2% in earnest money is the customary practice today. However, if you want to let a seller know that you are serious, you can offer more money to convey this. Remember, this money is potentially at risk if the deal falls through, so make sure you are confident in the home and that you and your offer. You should also have the contingencies in place to cover you if in case you decide to back out later, so you do not lose all of your money.
3. Discover seller’s motivation to help structure your offer.
Price is not the only factor sellers consider. Sometimes it is important for them to close quickly (For example, they may have a new job in another city). For others, they may need more time before closing (to allow their kids to finish the school year or for construction of their new home to be complete). If you can figure out the seller’s motivation, it can be a tremendous help in structuring your offer. Speak with your agent to see if you can uncover these motivations, then write your offer accordingly.
4. Shorten the due diligence period.
To signify more confidence to the seller, you can shorten the due diligence period when you would do the property inspection. Especially in multiple offer situations, you may want to shorten the inspection period to make your offer stand out. Contracts often allow buyers ways to back out during the inspection period, so a longer period means the more time the seller must wait for the buyer to commit to the purchase. As a result, sellers often choose the offer with the shortest due diligence period because if the buyer does back out, the seller was “off the market” for a shorter amount of time. Completely forgoing the inspection period could be very risky. If you do not do an inspection and find a major defect, you could be left with a hefty bill. Decide how badly you want your offer accepted before deciding to eliminate the inspection contingency.
5. Make the offer as clean as possible.
In short, the simpler your offer, the easier it will be to accept and close. Here “clean” usually means a short financing contingency (loan approval time), appraisal contingency, and due diligence period. Also, this means not including other contingencies like the purchase being contingent of the buyers needing to sell their house or asking for any closing costs to be paid for by the seller. The market is extremely competitive right now, so it may be necessary to take a few risks to get the house you want.
Now that you have covered these five essential tips, here are 3 BONUS tips you may also want to consider.
6. Include an escalation Clause
An escalation clause can be especially useful in a multiple offer situation. With this clause, you state that if another person bids higher than you, then your bid will automatically go up as well. An example of this could be that you will offer $500 more than any other bidder until a certain amount. The risk of this clause is that it shows the seller the maximum amount you are willing to offer for the house, so do not put more than you would want to pay.
7. Submit a letter with your offer
Making an offer on a property can seem intimidating, but you should always remember that the seller is just another human like you. People are more likely to deal with someone they like or can empathize with, so including a letter with an offer may boost your chances of getting accepted. Your letter does not have to be super formal, but it could be a brief note explaining yourself and plans for the home. You can even include a photo of yourself (or your family) to help them put a face to the name. All of this will reassure them that you are the right person with whom to make a deal.
8. Close faster.
Once a seller decides to sell their property, they are counting down the days until it is sold and off their plate. Therefore, another tip to help you stand out would be to offer a sooner closing date. It takes 30-45 days when using a normal bank loan to buy a house, so you should factor this into your decision when considering the expected closing date and when to set it. Trust Lending Solutions also has lenders who can help you close faster than average, giving your offer another edge over others with a longer time to close.
Call LISA @ TrustLendingSolutions.com direct 818-359-4145 for a “ROCK SOLID” prequalification! Important note: When my clients have an offer under consideration, I speak to listing agents all the time to elaborate on the pre-qual letter ensuring they know that your loan was thoroughly reviewed, processed and underwritten to lender guidelines and the loan will be smooth and fast for closing
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