Once you have found the right property, the next step is to make a purchase offer to the seller. There are several decisions to be made first.

Determine the price you want to offer

The price that the seller is asking may or may not reflect a realistic market value.  The best way to determine this is for us to do a comparative market analysis showing similar properties that sold recently, those that are currently active on the market, and those that failed to sell.  We will also discuss with you an estimate of the costs that may be associated with purchasing the property, such as title insurance, inspections, etc. 

Decide on financing

If you have been looking at homes to purchase for awhile, we will need to check the status of your loan pre-approval.  We will work together with your loan officer to explain your financing options and to help you determine the mortgage plan that best fits your needs.  You will also need to determine how much earnest money you will offer.  Having all this information ready before an offer is presented makes the offer stronger for the seller, especially if there are multiple offers on the property.

Decide on other important issues

There may be seller's items that you want included in the house that should be included in the contract. You will also need to determine what inspections you wish to have done, if there are any enhancements or changes that you request the seller to make, and also when an appropriate closing date and date of possession is possible.

Once all these determinations have been made, it is time to present the offer!  We will present the offer to the seller's agent on your behalf, who will present it to the seller.  The seller will have three choices.  He can choose:

• to accept your offer as presented;
• to reject it completely, or
• to make a counteroffer.

Once you have reached an agreement with the seller, you will have a firm contract to purchase the home!