People selling their property will often become experts in the selling process. They learn how to position their home in the market, make repairs to clean it up, analyze the market of comparable homes in the neighborhood and so on. One of the odd anomalies of the process, however, is most sellers are not entirely sure of what to do once they actually receive an offer. Here are the basic options available to you.
When you receive an offer on the property you are selling, the first thing you can do is the most obvious. You can accept the offer! The offer should come to you in writing. You simple sign the provided acceptance line on the offer sheet and then follow the procedure outlined in the document to notify the buyer of your decision. You should keep in mind there is usually a time limit on the offer, so make sure to accept in time.
Your second option is to outright reject the offer of the buyer. To reject the offer, you typically are not required to do anything. The offer should contain language making it valid for a number of hours. You simple let the time period expire and the offer is rejected. If you get an offer on your property, however, outright rejection is rarely a good move. Instead, you probably want to try the third option available to you.
Your third option when dealing with an offer from a potential buyer is to make a counteroffer. The first offer from a potential buyer is rarely worth accepting because the buyer is trying to figure out how low you will go when accepting a bid. This means the price offered is going to be much lower than your asking price and is also going to be much lower than the buyer is probably willing to pay. Unless the buyer has offered to pay the listed price, you should probably try a counteroffer.
A counteroffer must be in writing. In making it, you must layout all of the terms that you want to see the buyer meet. In short, the burden is switched to you to nail down the specific terms such as earnest money deposit and so on. Frankly, you should already have this information in mind. It is not uncommon for multiple counteroffers to be exchanged until a price is agreed upon by the seller and buyer, so do not be put off by the process.
If you are selling your home, getting an offer is a great moment. Of course, you will need to know what to do with it, but now you do.
Making Offer On Home
Evaluating the Offer for Your Home
You have read every book under the sun. You have read more internet articles than you can imagine. You have cleaned up your home, made repairs and put out your marketing. At this point, you feel like you are an expert in the process. Suddenly, you get an offer on the property. Now what?
The first thing to do is relax. Do not make the mistake of rushing to evaluate it. An offer is just that ? an offer. It has contingencies and all kinds of little quarks in it. Although you have lived in the home for a lengthy period of time, you need to realize you are now in a business transaction. Once you have caught your breath, it is time to consider the offer.
The first issue is always the offered purchase price. The price will never be what you are asking for in the listing. It will be below the number, perhaps shockingly lower. At this point, you may feel the urge to pick up the phone and give the buyer a piece of your mind. Don't! This is a business transaction. The buyer is merely throwing out a bit of bait to see if you are going to bite. If you do, they get a great deal. If you do not, they will evaluate any counter offer you make. If you do not counter, they can always submit a higher offer. Remember, this is a business transaction, not an affront to your pride!
A second issue concerns items in the home the buyer may want included in the sell. I have seen brawls break out over a lamp that would make a biker blush. Maybe that lamp is an heirloom that you can't part with, but it probably is not. Only you can decide how valuable it is and whether it is worth losing the sale, but try to be objective and coherent when making the decision. Yes, it has been a loyal lamp, but really now?
After this, you need to evaluate any additional costs associated with the offer. The buyer may want allowances for painting and so on. It is usually fairly easy to bypass your emotions on this one, but you need to make some basic financial calculations. Take the offered price and subtract all costs for the transactions. One you have the net revenue figure, compare it to the bottom line number you decided on when you first decided to sell. This will tell you if it is an offer you should accept.
Homeowners often get so focused on the selling process, that they are caught off guard when an offer actually rolls in. Stick to your guns on your bottom line and you should be fine.