If you’ve been trying to buy recently, you know how brutally tough it is out there. Not very many great homes on the market, but plenty of people looking at every one of them. Our recent open houses have brought over 100 people through the door, and many of them seem to be very serious about buying a home. So could you use a few tips for competing in this hot market? My advice would be to work with a great realtor and listen to their advice. Find a lender like Jackie Murphy with Caliber Home Loans who can make the lending part of the equation smooth and fast. Do your research on value, so if you are in a bidding situation you’ll have confidence to sign off on an offer over full price. If there is time to have your home inspections, sewer scopes or other inspections wrapped up and done prior to presenting the offer, spend the money, take the time, and satisfy those conditions before you present your offer. A letter from you about why you want the home is usually considered thoughtful by sellers so I’d write one, and have it focus only a little bit on you and mostly on what you noticed most in the home you are trying to purchase. Finally see if you can make your offer tailor to the seller’s needs, such as giving them a little extra time to move out, having an earnest money check that is big enough they have confidence in the sale, and also being flexible about any particular needs that their broker shares with your broker. Everyone likes to feel good about the home they buy and as you’re weighing the pros and cons of your soon to be new abode, the seller is saying goodbye to a ton of memories and wants to pick a good steward to take care of the place after they leave. These tips will hopefully help any potential buyers prevail in our hot market.
