When its a prime home buying a selling season, and, if you are looking to buy in an area with low inventory and high demand, you probably are going to run into a bidding war. How do you handle a bidding war on your dream home? Here are the things that can go wrong. A great way to lose one, is to not realize there’s going to be one. So, how do you know? Know where you’re looking. In coveted areas, chances are, there will be a bidding war. Observe how many people are at an open house.

If the house is overflowing, there will likely be multiple offers coming through the door. If you’ve made an offer, and your agent tells you they’ve had higher bids, you now know you have competition. Sellers want a clear, organized offer. If its all jumbled up, with writing all over it, and just a complete mess, they will pass. No one wants to decode a string of papers. You should ask yourself, Is there a deadline to submit offers? Is there a specific offer format the seller wants to see?  Are there any other factors that might be important toa844e8f21d73e1c5bb1fcd208fc24cad the seller? Do he want a quick closing or a delayed one? Non-contingent financing offers? Does the seller want to stay in or rent the home until he can find another home?

Have a clean, correct, and easily legible offer packet, as well as a pre-approval mortgage offer. Write a letter that will make the owner see you as a person instead of a piece of paper with a monetary figure on it. In the letter, write why you love the home, and other things that tie the owner to you emotionally. Don’t lowball to see if the seller will entertain your offer. When creating your bid, make it a strong figure; that is, make it a number that might stand out. Most offers will be in round numbers, so give a price accordingly.

When you’re competing with multiple offers, you have to come prepared. Cash offers are almost an easy win, since most people cannot afford to do that, get pre-approved so that the seller takes you seriously. Another way is to increase the amount of your down payment. If you’re still dead-set on getting that home, you can also offer to pay the seller’s closing costs.

Realize when its time to walk. If you’re overpaying on your budget to the point where you cannot afford it, leave it be. It’s easy to get caught in a war, and feel the need to “win.” Set a limit on what you’re willing to pay for the house before you even submit your offer.

Make your best offer upfront. Write an escalation clause, which details how much you’re willing to outbid another offer up to a certain limit. If you really want that home, you should stick around until you know whether your offer fell through or was accepted. Don’t go out of town or be otherwise inaccessible to your Realtor during a bidding war.

Be prepared to make decisions very quickly and respond very quickly to questions about your offer. Sellers like to close fast. When you’re in a multiple-offer situation, it’s best to make an offer with few contingencies. That can mean foregoing repairs or added appliances and furniture.

There are many things you can do to increase your chances to win in a bidding war. The important thing is to make sure you aren’t acting on a whim just for the sake of winning. For more reading, check out 6 Ways You Can Beat a Fast Cash Offer When Buying a Home. Also watch this useful video to learn about Tips on How to Negotiate: Buying a Home With Cash.

1 Comment

  1. Elizabeth

    The two things that I wholly agree with about this article, are making sure that you do submit your best offer upfront, and that you know when to walk away. One goes with the other. If you come up with a max figure that you offer straight up front, it will make it easy for you to walk away. If you keep counter-offering, you get caught up in the psychological thrill of “winning.”

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