Determining Your Offer Price
Monday, January 30th, 2012
When you get ready to purchase a new home, chances are you already know the asking price. You can then come up with an offer which you will present to the seller or the seller’s agent. If you are also utilizing the services of your own agent, the two of you will talk it over and your agent will present your offer. So how do you determine your offer?
Determining what you will offer to purchase the home for is a three step process. You will first look at the prices of recent sales on properties similar to the one you would like to purchase. This will help you come up with a price range. Your agent will be able to supply you with this information. If you aren’t using an agent, you can research some of this information via the Internet. You could also call real estate companies in your area to see if you can obtain these prices.
Next, you will need to analyze various pieces of data to determine where in that particular range to make your offer. This data can include: the condition of the home, improvements recently made to the property as a whole, the current market conditions, and the specific circumstances of the seller. This is what will help you settle on a price you feel is fair.
The third step is where you, the buyer, get to negotiate. Here is where you will adjust your price and figure out exactly what you want to put into the offer.
Typically, an offer made on a single family home can vary from the asking price be several thousands. Other property types, however, such as condos and duplexes may not see nearly as much variation. While you can always offer a price significantly lower than what is being asked, you may actually need to go up on your offer to make the purchase.
Typically, you will make an offer, then wait to find out whether or not it is accepted. If the seller does not accept it, you may be given the option of making another offer, provided someone else hasn’t already beaten you to it. Again, if you choose to enlist the help of a real estate agent, he or she will be able to provide assistance and give advice on what is actually considered a fair offer.
Your agent will also be able to provide you a report on sales of other properties in the neighborhood where your prospective home is located. This will give you information concerning each property, how many times it has been sold within a certain timeframe, and the selling price for each instance of sale. This will show you the selling and buying trends in that particular area and can help you when making your offer decision.















