Getting an Offer and Negotiating

[All my blogs are written without the assistance of AI. I have nothing against it, I’m just weirdly proud of that.]

So.

Someone has fallen in love with your house, and they’ve presented their highest and best.

Not surprising, seeing as the kids had repaved the living room (link explaining that –> here).

Now that an offer has come in, you have some options.

1. Accept the offer as it is

If the offers terms are acceptable to you, by all means accept it! We have now gone officially under contract. There’s nothing wrong with accepting the first offer either, especially if its terms are agreeable. There’s also always a possibility that this might be the only offer you receive. I’m not saying that to frighten you into taking a deal you don’t want, I’m just letting you know. We’ve entered a different market phase than the one we experienced back in 2020-2021 (fortunately or unfortunately depending on your point of view). 

1. Reject it

However, if the offer terms are NOT agreeable, to the point they’ve left out even the possibility of any wiggle room (the offer comes in insultingly low, they want you to repaint the entire outside when it’s a brick home and doesn’t even need any paint, they want the brand new roof replaced, etc), you can absolutely say NO. You’re not under any obligation to accept an offer with terms you deem disagreeable. Might it be the only offer? Again, it may. But you are under no compulsion to agree to it.

1. Negotiate

If the offer comes in a little low, maybe they’re asking for things that aren’t completely beyond the pale, it’s ALMOST your goldilocks offer… You can negotiate.

While it’s definitely nerve wracking waiting on the other side to see if they agree or disagree (then again, this whole process isn’t exactly a cake walk is it??), negotiating for what you want really is the life blood of real estate. Additionally, I’m here to guide you through and make sure you’re getting the best deal you’re able to get, you aren’t going to be making these decisions on your own. 

Getting an offer is incredibly exciting, and I’m thrilled for you and what this means in your real estate journey. Once we’ve negotiated to get you the best deal and you’ve accepted the closest thing to your goldilocks offer that we can get, you’re now officially under contract. Once under contract, you have anywhere from 21-60 days until closing.

Which will be the subject of my next post (including a shameless Better Homes plug!)

Until next time.