4 Tips to Making Your Purchase Offer Stand Out

With the national housing market bouncing back over the past year, it’s becoming more and more common to see homes listed for sale receiving multiple offers on them. If you find yourself (as a buyer) in such a situation, it’s important that your purchase offer stand out and get noticed. Here are some ways to get your purchase offer to stand out from the crowd.

1. Learn More About the Sellers. You need to learn as much as possible about the sellers so that you can best craft your purchase offer. Are they moving out of town? Why? What is their timeline to move? Do they need to rent-back the home after the sale? Your agent is the key to finding out this information from the sellers’ agent. With this information you should be able to personalize the purchase offer to meet the needs of the sellers whereas most other bidders will likely not take the time to do this.

2. Don’t Lowball Your Initial Offer. Normally, you wouldn’t start a real estate negotiation with your best offer. However, when markets do get competitive as they are in certain neighborhoods of the particular city, starting with a low offer may backfire. Your best initial move is to present your strongest offer upfront when you know that there are other bidders involved. This is because in many cases there is no second round of bidding as the sellers are in a hurry to close this sale in order to purchase another home. Not sure what to bid? Your real estate agent should be able to provide you with a list of comparable recent San Antonio real estate sales that you can use as a guideline. Of course, if there are other buyers bidding up the price above fair market value, just walk away and find another home to buy.

3. Don’t Ask the Sellers for too much. Normally, most buyers typically ask the seller to take care of minor repairs or to include an appliance with the sale of the home. One way to make your purchase offer stand out is to try and keep these requests to an absolute minimum. It may be tough to do this when you receive the home inspection reports listing every minor fault, but it’s important that you do as it signals your level of interest in getting the deal done.

4. Include a Personalized Note with the Purchase Offer. While this may sound far-fetched, it actually works. The note should strike an emotional bond with the seller to make your offer more tempting. Don’t forget that the seller is a person who’s likely going through an emotional period in their life (moving is always a little emotional). The note should be simple and talk a bit about your family and why you want to purchase this particular San Antonio home. Complimenting the seller on some facets of the home is also a good idea. While you won’t win every home you bid on using this technique, it will help you stand out from the other offers.

Should I Sell My Home Without a Realtor?

If you are preparing to sell your home, you already know that it can be an intimidating task. The world of real estate is shrouded in mystery to the average person. Some of that is misconception but some of that is valid. The reason most people feel intimidated by selling a home is because there are a lot of property laws and marketing know how that goes into successfully selling a house at the right price.

Realtors exist so that average people can have an expert at their disposal to help them navigate this most important financial process. Attempting to sell your home without the assistance of a Realtor is a big risk that could cost you big bucks. Here are a few key reasons why you should consult with a Realtor prior to selling your next home:

They Know the Law

Realtors have spent significant time studying how laws impact the buying and selling of real estate. They understand how to legally execute a sale to ensure that all parties are abiding by the letter and spirit of the law. More importantly, they are available to make sure that you (their client) do not get taken advantage of or strong-armed by the buyer or their representatives.

They Know the Market

A knowledgeable Realtor can help you honestly evaluate the true value of your home and how that will translate to buyer activity in the market. While you may have strong opinions as to your home’s worth, they can provide you with the data you need to make an informed decision. Additionally, a Realtor can be objective when it comes to suggesting improvements that might need to be done to ensure you get top dollar for your property. Finally, Realtors are experts at marketing your home through multiple channels such as the MLS, online, in-print, and in-person (open houses).

They Know Buyers

Realtors spend much of their time speaking with people who are looking for new homes. Between their contacts and those of their colleagues, they have access to a significant number of buyers that you just cannot reach by simply placing a “for sale” sign in your yard. Realtors excel at matching the right buyer with the right seller at the right price, ensuring that everyone comes out ahead at the close of the transaction.
While there are some who are tempted to save a few dollars and try to sell your home on your own, most quickly realize that the value delivered by Realtors far outweigh their expense.

Sincerely,

Scott Myers, Century 21 Scott Myers, Realtors
(210) 479-1222