text: There is nothing harder than making an offer on a home and then hearing that the home of your dreams has been given to someone else. How we mediate this? Make them an offer they can’t refuse by standing out among other hungry buyers. I work with my buyers especially in the Spring market to submit the best offers possible and here are some of those tips.
  Know where to be flexible
  Before you set your sights on your dream home, have a game plan. Go into making an offer by knowing how strict or flexible your budget can be, and other contingencies.
  Be prepared
  If you express interest in a house you are serious about but don’t take the steps you need to follow through, your seller won’t be waiting for you—especially in a competitive market. Be ready to follow through with each piece of the buying process to stand out. I always tell folks the house you want to sleep on is the house someone slept on last night and is making an offer on today. I don’t say this to rush clients but it is very real.
  Make your due diligence appealing
  The more you can offer upfront, the more peace of mind your seller will have in following through with what you have to offer compared to those around you. Show the seller just how serious you are about their home. My job is to limit the amount of potentially lost funds to my buyers if we were to back out however, it is also to make it sweet enough for the sellers to not want to refuse.
  Put their schedule first
  Remember, the seller is probably just as stressed as you are, which means that any sign of difficulty or hesitation on your end could have the seller turning to someone else. Before submitting offers I usually reach out to the listing agent to let them know we are working on an offer and to find out what is important to their sellers…closing date is usually one of those items.
  Personalization is key
  As much as buying a home is a serious business deal, it’s a deal between people who are both in a similar situation, so build a relationship off of that commonality. Write a letter to thank them for sharing a piece of their former home with you and letting them know you’ll enjoy it and continue caring for it. Numbers and contracts matter, but don’t forget that behind all of that are people.
  Doing something that sets you apart from the busy season of buyers by following these tips! If you need help in your home search give me a call today to get that started.