Making an Offer

So you have seen all the houses your agent suggested and have narrowed it down to one.  Now what?  Assuming you have already been pre-approved and know how much house you can buy, now would be the time to make the offer.  Now is not the time to ask for things to be fixed.  The object is to get the best possible price for the house.  Your agent will take care of the negotiating details.  When it comes to the sale of a property, the seller may have stated that the refrigerator will not stay with the house.  If you want it, then put it in your offer.  Just because they state that they won't does not mean that they are not willing to compromise for the right price.

If the seller isn't already offering a home warranty, request that the seller purchase one.  A Home Warranty Plan is a wonderful thing to have when you first move into a new house.  Even if the sellers say they won't pay for it I always recommend that the buyers purchase one.  A home protection plan is a renewable service contract that covers many of the most frequently occurring breakdowns of home system components and appliances that are not usually covered by homeowner insurance.

Don't fret over what the seller will say when they read it.  The worst that they can tell you is no.  There is a chance that there will be multiple offers on the house when you submit your offer.  If this is the case you will want to offer your highest and best offer within reason.  Most of the time this means a full price offer.  The agent will set a date and time for the seller to respond, usually 12-48 hours depending on the day of the week.  In the state of Louisiana, you are bound by that offer until the offer expires.  For example, if the agent gives the sellers till 5pm on Sunday then you are bound legally by that offer until 5pm on that Sunday.  If the sellers have not responded by the time the offer expires it doesn't necessarily mean that they rejected your offer, but it does mean that you are no longer bound by that contract.

If the seller does reject the offer, just keep on looking.  Do not let a rejection get you down.  There are plenty of houses added to the market daily with which you can fall in love!