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You are here: Home / Blog / Tips for Home Buyers

5 tips for making your best offer

September 15, 2021

5 tips for making your best offer

In today’s sellers’ market, standing out as a buyer is critical. Multi-offer scenarios and bidding wars are the norm due to the low supply of houses for sale and high buyer demand. If you’re buying this fall, you’ll want every advantage, especially when you’ve found the home of your dreams. Following are five things to keep in mind when it’s time to make an offer.

1. Know your budget

Knowing your budget and what you can afford is critical to your success as a homebuyer. The best way to understand your numbers is to work with a lender so you can get pre-approved for a loan. The pre-approval allows you to look for a home with greater confidence and demonstrates to the seller that you are a serious buyer.

Showing sellers you’re serious can give you a competitive edge. It enables you to act quickly when you’ve found your perfect home.

2. Be prepared to move fast

Speed and the pace of sales are contributing factors to today’s competitive housing market. According to the latest Existing Home Sales Report from the National Association of Realtors (NAR), the average home is on the market for just 17 days. In fact, 89 percent of homes sold in July 2021 were on the market for less than a month.

When homes are selling fast, staying on top of the market and moving quickly are key. After you’ve worked with your agent to find the home that suits your needs, they’ll help you put together and submit your best offer as soon as possible.

3. Your Buyer’s Agent can lead you to victory

No matter what the housing market looks like, rely on a trusted real estate advisor. According to Freddie Mac, “the success of your home buying journey largely depends on the company you keep … be sure to select experienced, trusted professionals who will help you make informed decisions and avoid any pitfalls.”

Agents are experts in the local real estate market. They have insight into what’s worked for other buyers in your area and what sellers may be looking for in an offer. It may seem simple, but catering to what a seller may need can help your offer stand out.

4. Craft a strong, fair offer

In the past, offering at or near the asking price was enough to make your offer appealing to sellers. In today’s market, that’s often not the case. According to the latest Realtors Confidence Index from NAR, 50 percent of offers are above the list price.

In such a competitive market, emotions and prices can run high. Having an experienced Buyer’s Agent to help craft a strong, fair offer is critical in these situations. Your agent can help you understand:

  • The market value of the home
  • Recent sales trends in the area
  • Current buyer demand

5. Understand the Seller’s needs, but resist waiving certain contingencies

When crafting an offer, you’ll want to keep both your best interest and the interest of the seller in mind. Your trusted real estate advisor will help you consider which levers you could pull, including contract contingencies (conditions you set that the seller must meet for the purchase to be finalized). Of course, there are certain contingencies you don’t want to give up, like the home inspection.

“Resist the temptation to waive the inspection contingency, especially in a hot market or if the home is being sold ‘as-is’, which means the seller won’t pay for repairs,” advises Freddie Mac. “Without an inspection contingency, you could be stuck with a contract on a house you can’t afford to fix.”

Bottom Line: Today’s competitive housing market makes it more important than ever to make a strong offer on a home. Let’s connect to make sure your offer rises to the top.

Filed Under: Tips for Home Buyers

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"From start to finish, Russ Fortuno was “a class act.” It started with his online Home Buyer’s Guide which was helpful to me, a first-time, out-of-state buyer. His new listing email notifications were timely and helped me get familiar with the Green Valley properties that fit my budget. Then when I was ready to buy, he represented me as a buyer’s agent. He professionally led me through the entire process with great knowledge of the available properties, as well as the subsequent offer and purchasing process. I found Russ to be very clear and direct. He went above and beyond what I expected. Even after the closing, he arranged the removal of some unwanted furniture and helped me identify cleaning and painting services in the area, something few other agents would do. I would highly recommend his services to anyone without reservation!"
- E.D., Green Valley, AZ
"Anytime, anywhere, he was there, always going the extra mile. He even came to the house and watered trees so they would not die — more then once. He’s what you call real professional, a 10.5 on a 10 scale. I was out of town when the house was listed so he went to the house and did a video. I didn’t see a dishwasher, he said “yes it was there.” That was good enough for me, but he went to house and took picture to show me. He kept me informed every step of the process, and followed-up to ask if I had any questions."
- G.M., Sandpoint ID
"Honest with facts and straight forward with helpful guidance. Our purchase was long distance in nature. It is important to work with someone, like Russ, you can trust."
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Russ Fortuno, Associate Broker

I'm a Southern Arizona native and year-round Green Valley resident. Whether you’re buying or selling a home in the Green Valley or Sahuarita area, you’ll experience unsurpassed service and professionalism at all stages of your real estate transaction. I welcome the opportunity to assist in your next home sale or purchase.
Meet Russ

Tierra Antigua Realty

18745 S. I-19 Frontage Rd., Ste. A105
Green Valley, AZ 85614
(520) 333-0446
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