How to Make Your Offer Shine Among Multiple Offers

Here are six ways to make your offer shine the brightest in a multiple-offer situation.

Multiple-offer situations are popping up all around our market, which is leading buyers to ask, “How can I make a winning offer when I’m up against multiple offers and I really want the house?” That’s the question I’ll answer today. 

As a buyer, your first priority should be to sell your current home or, at the very least, get it under contract before making an offer on a new home. This will entice the seller to more seriously consider your offer over other buyers’ offers.  

Second, play nice. What do I mean by that? Don’t make any unreasonable requests as to what the seller includes in the purchase. Asking them to include the washer and dryer with the sale is a surefire way to get them to throw your offer out. If you want to incentivize the seller to accept your offer, present it in a clean way and offer to pay your own closing costs and title fees.   

Speaking of playing nice, make sure your agent befriends the listing agent. The best thing you can do is to establish a strong rapport right from the outset by building trust, making a meaningful offer, and assuring them that you won’t be difficult to work with through the inspection and repair process.  

Then, get your agent to find out what’s most important to the seller. This may come as a surprise, but it’s not always about price. It could be that they care more about a specific closing date, closing costs, what stays and what goes with the sale, etc. By probing a little deeper and including what the seller wants to see in an offer, you might come out on top.  

The fifth winning tactic is to share the love. Write a letter or send a picture to the seller that demonstrates how much you and your family love the property. If you can pull at the seller’s heartstrings this way, the likelihood of your offer being accepted is much higher. Believe it or not, I’ve seen sellers accept lower offers just because of the buyer’s sincerity.     

Last but not least, expect a counter-offer. In South Carolina, a seller can choose not to accept any initial offers. That means if five offers come in, they can counter all five or ask every buyer to place their best and final offer, so be prepared if and when that happens.   

If you have any real estate-related questions or would like my help in putting together a winning offer, don’t hesitate to reach out to me. I’m here to help!