Constructing an Offer

My clients ask me how they should construct an offer, particularly because it is still very much a seller’s market. The thing is, even though people think it might not be quite a seller’s market anymore, it still is because there’s almost no inventory. You should avoid getting really crafty with your offer and try to not overplay your hand.

Just this week we’ve had offers on some of our listings come in and they have been the verbal equivalent of “hey haven’t you heard that things have changed?!” and in reality it’s more like, “hey haven’t you heard, it’s the only house in the area at that price point?” In other words, the offers have been very poorly constructed.

The case this week was a buyer came in significantly underpriced. The seller responded in a very professional way, didn’t get upset at the lowball offer, and simply responded with a reasonable counteroffer. Then the guy came back and randomly asked for a piece of personal property that was really expensive. In the meantime we got another offer and the seller took it because they liked this one better and the other potential buyer irritated him. Something to keep in mind when trying to construct a “clever offer”! The bottom line is keep it clean, simple and reasonable.

If you have questions, call me and I can help you! Let’s talk!