When selling your home you may receive many offers from different buyers, but the smart move isn’t always to pick the highest bidder. Selling a home goes beyond just picking the largest dollar amount; there are other factors to consider while selling your house and how they influence your decision:
Contingencies
Most home-sale offers come with certain contingencies before they can go through. These contingencies are certain conditions that must take place within a specific time-frame for the sale to be successful. You should pick the offer with the least number of contingencies and the shortest periods stipulated. Typical contingencies include a home inspection, approval for a mortgage and the home appraisal. When there is an inspection contingency, the buyer can withdraw his offer depending on how the inspection goes. Financial contingencies also allow the buyer to stop the purchase if they do not get a mortgage approved early enough.
All-cash offers
The best kind of offer is one that is offering cash up front. The offer may not be the highest, but it is guaranteed to go through because you don’t have to worry about a bank financing application that may or may not be approved.
Buyer pre-approval
Few people can afford to pay cash upfront for your home. The next best set of people are those who already have a pre-approval letter from their lender. This letter means that they can get a loan whenever they are ready. A buyer with a pre-approval implies that they already have everything necessary to get a credit and so the process following the offer will not be as difficult as it is for someone without a pre-approval.
Loan type
There are many kinds of mortgages, and if a mortgage from a bank backs your buyer's offer, then it is not going to be complicated. If the buyer is using an FHA loan or another government-backed credit facility, it could become involved with more processes and requirements.
Closing timelines
Everyone wants to close the process as quickly as possible and move along to other things. If the buyer wants to close immediately or under thirty days, then that is the perfect situation. You could also need some time especially if you are buying another house and would like it to be ready before moving in. Work with the offer that offers you the best timelines for your plans.
Price matters, but a lot of other things matter too when considering offers for your home. Discuss these with your real estate agent to help you decide which offer will work best for you.
About the Author
Meryl Diamond
While I was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, I have spent the last 27 years living in the Lisle and Naperville area. The first single family home my husband and I ever owned was in Green Trails, Lisle. There were two things we loved about living in Green Trails - the sense of community and all the green space. This was a dream come true for my children who always had a friend to play with or a babysitter near by. For me, it gave me a chance to get to know the neighbors whom I have built lifelong friendships with. From neighborhood garage sales to summer barbeques, we always found reason to come together.
