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Writing and Negotiating an Offer

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Public Records
Greenville county public records are available online and can show quite a bit of information that can sometimes be helpful in deciding how to proceed with your strategy in making an offer.  Has there been a divorce filed? What did the seller pay for the home and when did that sale occur? What was the original mortgage on the home, was there a second mortgage, and have any or all of those been satisfied? These things can't give you a dollar amount to attach to them, but can give you some indicators as to motivation.

One of the mistakes that many prospective buyers make is to trust that the information on these online records is accurate.  Many times it is, and many times it is not. Your best source for square footage is going to be from past sales in the MLS. Just because they might not match up doesn't mean that the MLS is wrong.  It is typically the other way around.  This can be why some of the online web sites that try to give you value can be misleading.  The old adage, garbage in-garbage out applies many times in those situations. 

Relocation Sales
Though not as normal as in the past, there can be some circumstances where the seller is being bought out by their employer in a relocation situation. If the seller is already out of the picture, this can typically bode well for your negotiations since the relocation company is typically more interested in getting the home "off the books."  Plus, there isn't any emotional attachment and you can typically go in lower without any worries of insulting anyone.

Negotiating a Real Estate Sale
Though it can be quite hard, try not to get emotionally attached to anything.  This can cost you money. With that in mind, going in too low can sometimes be counterproductive. Making the owner mad in the onset can wind up costing you more than if you came in little higher, especially if you and your Realtor have determined that the house is actually priced pretty well.  Your negotiation should be structured around pulling the seller toward your position incrementally with each counteroffer. You may also try to make each counter look a little better by adding incentives or removing requests. In most instances, you can typically tell how motivated the seller is by their first counteroffer. 

Starting off under contract on the "right foot"
When you are getting close to an accepted offer, try to remember that starting off on the "right foot" can typically make the transaction go much smoother along the way. Don't bicker about a couple of extra dollars in the beginning because it could cost you much more in a future negotiation. In today's restrictive lending market, you may get down to the closing and find out the lender is requiring more documentation in order to approve the loan.  This may require an extension. If you have an unhappy seller, that may be just the reason they need to kill the deal.  You might also have some heavy negotiations on the inspection results that the previous good will could have made much smoother.

The Realities of Diligent Real Estate Research
Finding out all you should about the deal before going in should get you the best deal coming out.  Unfortunately, this isn't always the case. You might find a seller who doesn't want to consider the facts, or has simply been exposed to misleading information by their agent.  In these situations, you have to decide to make the decision that you are going to either pay too much or just walk away. This is where not getting emotionally attached comes into play.  Sometimes, it just isn't meant to be and you have to be prepared to walk away.

Realtors earn their keep!
Having a competent and professional Realtor on your side, representing you throughout each and every step of the way can be a major asset to you.  A Realtor who is experienced and works in the business full time can provide you the local insight and knowledge that can only be to your benefit. We sell homes every month or the year, not just part time, so our knowledge is built to help you.  We have systems in place to guide you through the transaction so that you land safely in your next home with the happiness and comfort of knowing everything was covered along the way. We look forward to using this experience to work for you.

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