Once your home is on the market, offers won’t always come in exactly how you imagined. Knowing how to evaluate them objectively helps you make the right decision under pressure.
Look past the headline price
The highest offer isn’t always the best one. Weigh financing type and strength, contingencies, proposed closing timeline, and the size of the earnest money deposit alongside the offer price itself.
Understand the buyer’s financing
A cash offer or a strong pre-approval from a reputable lender carries less risk of falling through than a loan with a lower down payment or an unfamiliar lender.
Read the contingencies carefully
Inspection, appraisal, and financing contingencies all create opportunities for a buyer to renegotiate or walk away. Fewer contingencies generally mean a more certain path to closing.
Don’t negotiate against yourself
If an offer is close but not quite right, a counteroffer is almost always better than rejecting it outright – it keeps the conversation, and the sale, alive.
Received an offer and want a second opinion? Call Dockside Realty at 850.225.9785 or email christine@docksiderealtyinc.com.