Home Buying Process
How to Make the Right Offer on a Home
Your Roadmap to a Confident Home Purchase
Whether you’re buying for the first time or the fifth, having a clear understanding of the home buying process makes all the difference.
My comprehensive Home Buyer Overview walks you through every stage—from financing and offer strategy to inspections, closing, and beyond—so you can navigate your purchase with clarity, confidence, and fewer surprises.
You’ve found the perfect home—now comes the critical question: what should you offer? In this video, Adam walks you through how to craft a competitive, thoughtful offer based on local data, your personal financial picture, and seller priorities. This video is perfect for buyers ready to make a move and unsure how aggressive—or cautious—they should be.
What You’ll Learn in This Video:
How to analyze the micro market and assess buyer competition
What questions your agent should ask the listing agent before you write
When to consider waiving contingencies or adding an escalation clause
Why your offer price should reflect both market data and your future plans
How to decide if covering an appraisal gap is a smart move for you
What’s on the market now? Customize your home search.
Ready to start the process? Schedule a brief conversation.
Adam Tabaka (00:00):
Alright, so you’ve identified the perfect home and you’re ready to write an offer. Now the question is, what is the right offer to make? Answering that question starts with understanding the micro market, understanding the particular property that you want to write an offer on, and understanding how much direct competition that home faces from other similar homes in the community and the surrounding areas.
(00:24):
Now you’re also going to want to get a sense of what is the buyer activity like locally. And you’re going to understand that through analysis of local buyer activity data, as well as through conversations that your buyer agent should have with the listing agent about how many showings they’re having, whether or not they have any offers in hand or expecting any offers within the next 24 to 48 hours. And a good buyer agent will also help you determine if there are any particular contractual terms that are important to the seller, such as maybe a quick close, or maybe a rent back.
(00:59):
And with this information in hand, you’ll want to take stock of your financial position. What would your monthly payment look like given the price that you’re considering offering and today’s interest rates? If you’re entering a competitive situation, you might want to take stock of whether or not there are any contingencies that you might consider waiving. And also consider, does it make sense in this particular case to offer an escalation addendum?
(01:24):
Now, if you’re really in love with the home and you’re contemplating offering more than the home might likely appraise for, do you have the cash to cover a delta if the appraisal comes in low? If you plan to live in the home for maybe just two to three years, there’s a chance that you might not even break even on the sale. Now, if you’re thinking of living in the home for 15, 20 years or more, then offering 25 grand above list price may seem like a very small price to pay to secure the home that you really want in the long run. So as you can see, structuring the right offer is very much dependent on your particular circumstances.
(02:03):
Want to learn more? Check out my Home Buyer Overview down below. Ready to get the process started? Give me a call or schedule time down below. Until next time, take it easy.
Your Roadmap to a Confident Home Purchase
Whether you’re buying for the first time or the fifth, having a clear understanding of the home buying process makes all the difference.
My comprehensive Home Buyer Overview walks you through every stage—from financing and offer strategy to inspections, closing, and beyond—so you can navigate your purchase with clarity, confidence, and fewer surprises.