Do: make your highest offer first
Nine times out of 10, a seller is going to favor a higher price above all other factors. Make sure you’re shopping for houses within your budget, and don’t let your emotions get the better of you. No matter how much you may love a property, you need to be ready to walk away so you don’t wind up with a mortgage you can’t afford. Don’t undersell yourself either. If you really want a house and can afford to offer a little extra in a competitive market, that could be the key factor in getting you to closing.
Do: get pre-approved for a mortgage
Going through the process of mortgage pre-approval can be tiresome, especially if you don’t ultimately get the home you’re trying to buy. But, being a pre-approved buyer can show a seller that your offer is serious and that you can afford the price you’re offering.
To get mortgage pre-approval, you’ll need to submit a bunch of financial documents to your lender and allow them to run a credit check. Then, they will determine how large a mortgage they’re willing to finance for you, and will provide you with a letter to certify their offer.
Showing your seller that your financing is already in the works can give them some assurance that there’s one less roadblock to closing.
Do: remove as many contingencies as possible
In competitive markets, the fewer demands you make as a buyer, the more likely it is that your offer will be accepted. Contingencies come in many forms, and the fewer of them you have, the more attractive your offer will be.
One kind of contingency is an appraisal contingency, which normally allows your offer to go down or gives you an out from the deal before closing if your lender thinks the property is worth less than you’re planning to pay for it.
If you get rid of the appraisal contingency, no matter where it appraises you’re still buying the property” at the originally agreed-upon price.
Another common type of contingency is a physical one. You’re accepting the property in its current physical condition. No matter what you find, you’re still buying the property. Getting rid of these contingencies can be risky for buyers though, so make sure you understand what you’re getting into with your offer if you do.
You could wind up with a house worth less than you paid, which might mean your mortgage will be underwater from the start, or you could be on the hook for expensive repairs if your home inspection reveals any significant structural issues. If you’re planning a major remodel after you move in, getting rid of the physical contingency is less of a risk.
Do: put down as much as you can
Another way to get a seller’s attention is to limit how much of the purchase you have to finance.
All-cash offers are often accepted, even if there are financed offers for more money because those transactions are usually more streamlined and tend to have lower closing costs. Many sellers also prefer no-loan contingencies, where the buyer makes a substantial down payment and funds the rest of the purchase some other way.
Don’t: write a love letter
Many buyers think they’ll have a better chance of getting their offer accepted if the seller likes them personally. While that may be true, it can be risky to engage in personal outreach.
The National Association of Realtors also strongly advises against it because it can start a slippery slope toward housing discrimination.
To entice a seller to choose their offer, buyers sometimes write ‘love letters’ to describe the many reasons why the seller should “pick them”. While this may seem harmless, these letters can actually pose fair housing risks because they often contain personal information and reveal characteristics of the buyer, such as race, religion, or familial status, which could then be used, knowingly or through unconscious bias, as an unlawful basis for a seller’s decision to accept or reject an offer.
About Danielle Verboski
