How to Get Your Offer Accepted on a House: Tips to Make Your Offer Stand Out
You finally found the house.
You’ve toured it, pictured yourself living there, and you’re ready to make an offer.
Then you find out other buyers may want the same home.
Now the question becomes:
How do you make your offer stand out without taking unnecessary risks?
Hi, I’m Christine Almarines with CARE Group at CA Real Estate Group, and I help buyers understand how to prepare and structure their home purchase so they can make informed decisions when the right property comes along.
There is no strategy that can guarantee a seller will accept your offer. Sellers can consider price, financing, contingencies, timing, and other terms when deciding which offer works best for them.
But price isn’t necessarily the only part of an offer that matters.
Here are some of the things I discuss with my buyers when we’re preparing an offer on a home.
To improve your chances of getting an offer accepted on a house, consider the entire offer rather than focusing only on price. Depending on the property and seller, financing, mortgage preapproval, earnest money, contingencies, closing timeline, and other terms may all matter. A competitive offer should be attractive to the seller while still protecting your financial interests and staying within limits you’re comfortable accepting.
1. Make a Competitive Offer Based on the Home and Market
One of the first decisions is obviously price.
But how much should you offer on a house?
I don’t believe in automatically offering the asking price, automatically going over asking, or automatically trying to negotiate below it.
I want to look at the individual property and circumstances.
How is the home priced?
What do relevant comparable properties tell us?
How long has the home been available?
Are there other offers?
What are current market conditions?
How badly do you want this particular home?
Those answers can help us discuss an offer price that makes sense for you.
If you’re competing against other buyers for a desirable property, trying to save a relatively small amount on the offer price could potentially cost you the house.
At the same time, I don’t want you making an emotional decision without understanding what you’re offering and why.
A competitive offer should still be an informed offer.
2. Consider Your Earnest Money Deposit Carefully
Another part of an offer that sellers may consider is the earnest money deposit.
Earnest money is money a buyer deposits as part of the transaction after an accepted offer, subject to the terms of the purchase agreement.
A buyer may consider offering a larger earnest money deposit as one component of an offer strategy.
But there is something important I want buyers to understand:
More earnest money can also mean more money potentially at issue if something goes wrong.
Your rights and obligations regarding that deposit depend on your contract, contingencies, deadlines, circumstances, and applicable law.
That’s why I don’t want buyers increasing deposits or changing protections without understanding the potential consequences.
3. Get Your Financing in Order Before You Make an Offer
One of the strongest things you can do happens before you write the offer.
Get serious about your financing.
A basic mortgage prequalification may be based largely on information you’ve provided to a lender.
A more detailed mortgage preapproval can involve the lender reviewing documentation related to your income, employment, credit, assets, debts, bank statements, tax information, and other required financial information.
The exact process varies by lender.
The point is that I want you to know as much as possible about your financing before we’re competing for a house.
If a seller is evaluating your offer, having your financing prepared can help us present a clearer picture of your ability to move forward with the purchase.
A preapproval still does not guarantee final loan approval. Financing can remain subject to underwriting, appraisal, property requirements, updated verification, and other lender conditions.
4. Understand Your Contingencies Before Changing Them
Buyers sometimes hear that the way to win a multiple-offer situation is to waive contingencies.
Be careful.
Your contingencies may provide important contractual protections.
Depending on your purchase agreement, these can involve areas such as:
Financing
Appraisal
Inspections
Investigation of the property
Other conditions of the purchase
Reducing or removing a contingency may make an offer look different to a seller, but it can also change the buyer’s protection and increase risk.
I don’t recommend treating contingency removal as a one-size-fits-all strategy.
Before modifying a contingency, you should understand what you’re giving up, what could happen if a problem develops, and whether you’re financially and personally comfortable accepting that risk.
5. Be Careful With the Loan Contingency
If you’re financing your purchase, your loan contingency can be particularly important.
Don’t assume that a preapproval automatically means there is no financing risk.
The lender may still need to complete additional underwriting, review the property, evaluate the appraisal, update documentation, or satisfy other requirements.
Removing a loan contingency before you’re comfortable with your financing position could expose you to additional risk.
Before making that decision, talk with your lender and your real estate professional and understand exactly where your loan stands.
6. Understand the Appraisal Before Waiving Appraisal Protections
An appraisal contingency can also become an important part of an offer.
Suppose you agree to purchase a home for one amount, but the lender’s appraisal comes in lower.
What happens next depends on your contract, financing, and circumstances.
If you’ve agreed to certain appraisal terms or removed protections, you could potentially need additional funds to complete the purchase.
That’s why I want buyers to understand their available cash and potential exposure before changing appraisal-related terms simply to make an offer appear stronger.
7. Think Carefully Before Reducing Inspection Protections
The same principle applies to inspections.
Perhaps information about the property’s condition is already available. Perhaps the buyer has reviewed certain reports. Perhaps the offer situation is highly competitive.
That still doesn’t mean every buyer should automatically waive an inspection contingency.
A home can have issues that aren’t obvious during a showing.
The decision should depend on the property, information available, contract, buyer’s comfort with risk, and appropriate professional guidance.
Getting the house isn’t the only goal.
I also want you to understand what you’re buying.
8. Make the Rest of the Offer Attractive to the Seller
Purchase price gets most of the attention, but a real estate offer contains more than a number.
The seller may care about timing.
They may care about the closing date.
They may be concerned about financing.
They may prefer certain terms.
They may want confidence that the buyer is serious about completing the transaction.
When appropriate and permitted, I communicate with the listing agent to better understand the seller’s priorities so I can help my buyer evaluate how to structure the offer.
The goal isn’t to guess what matters to the seller.
It’s to gather the information available and use it when developing the offer strategy.
9. Communication With the Listing Agent Matters
There’s another part of writing a competitive offer that buyers don’t always see.
Agent-to-agent communication.
When I’m representing a buyer, I want the listing agent to know that I’m engaged in the transaction and available to communicate.
If questions arise about the offer, I want to be reachable.
If there’s information that can appropriately clarify my buyer’s position, I want to communicate it.
A professional, responsive transaction can matter to everyone involved.
No agent can guarantee that communication will cause a seller to choose one offer over another.
But I don’t want poor communication to become an unnecessary obstacle for my buyer.
10. Don’t Try to “Win” a House at Any Cost
This may be the most important point.
Getting an offer accepted feels exciting.
But the goal shouldn’t be winning a bidding contest.
The goal is purchasing a home you want under terms you understand and can live with.
There may be situations where another buyer is willing to offer substantially more, assume risks you’re uncomfortable taking, or agree to terms that don’t make sense for you.
That’s okay.
I want to help you put together a competitive offer while still understanding your limits.
Sometimes the right decision is making your strongest reasonable offer.
Sometimes the right decision is walking away.
Frequently Asked Questions About Getting an Offer Accepted on a House
How can I make my offer stand out when buying a house?
A competitive offer can involve more than price. Depending on the transaction, sellers may consider financing, earnest money, contingencies, closing timeline, and other terms.
I evaluate the individual property and situation with my buyer before developing an offer strategy.
Should I offer over asking price to get my offer accepted?
Not automatically.
The appropriate offer depends on the home’s asking price, relevant comparable properties, market conditions, competition, and what the property is worth to you.
An asking price is one piece of information, not an automatic instruction for what you should offer.
Does the highest offer always win?
Not necessarily.
A seller may evaluate price along with financing, contingencies, timing, closing terms, and other factors.
The seller decides which offer best meets their objectives, subject to applicable laws and contractual considerations.
Does a larger earnest money deposit make my offer stronger?
A larger earnest money deposit may be one term a seller considers, but buyers should understand the potential risk before increasing it.
The treatment and potential return of earnest money depend on the contract, contingencies, deadlines, and circumstances.
Should I waive my inspection contingency to win a house?
There isn’t one answer for every transaction.
Removing or limiting an inspection contingency can increase a buyer’s risk. Before making that decision, understand the property’s known condition, the information available to you, the contract, and what protections you may be changing.
Should I waive my appraisal contingency in a multiple-offer situation?
An appraisal-related offer term may affect how a seller evaluates an offer, but it can also create additional financial exposure for the buyer if the property appraises below the purchase price.
Before making that decision, understand how much additional cash you could potentially need and what your contract requires.
Should I remove my loan contingency if I’m preapproved?
A mortgage preapproval isn’t the same as guaranteed final loan approval.
Before changing financing protections, talk with your lender and understand what underwriting and other conditions remain.
You should also understand the contractual consequences of removing the contingency.
Can a seller choose a lower offer over a higher offer?
Potentially, yes.
Price can be important, but sellers may evaluate the entire offer and its terms rather than looking solely at the purchase price.
How do I know if there are multiple offers on a house?
Your real estate agent can communicate with the listing agent to gather information that the listing side is willing and permitted to provide.
The amount of information available can vary from one transaction to another.
How much should I offer on a house with multiple offers?
There’s no universal percentage or dollar amount.
I want to consider the property, comparable sales, asking price, competition, your financing, available cash, and how much you personally value the home before discussing an offer strategy.
What is the best way to prepare before making an offer?
Get your finances organized before you find the home you want.
Speak with a qualified lender, understand your potential loan and payment, know how much cash you have available, and talk with your real estate professional about the buying process.
Preparation gives you more information when it’s time to make decisions.
Want to Be Better Prepared Before You Make an Offer?
If you’re thinking about buying a home, don’t wait until you find the house you love to learn how the process works.
I’ve created a Buyer Course to give you additional resources and help you better understand the homebuying process before you have money on the line.
Access My Buyer Course
And if you’re ready to start looking for a home, contact me.
I can help you prepare for the buying process, understand your options, evaluate properties, develop an offer strategy, and represent your interests throughout the transaction.
I’m Christine Almarines with CARE Group at CA Real Estate Group.
And remember:
No one cares how much you know until they know how much you care.
CHRISTINE ALMARINES
Real Estate Agent | CA Real Estate Group | Caliber Real Estate
📱 714-476-4637
📧 christine@carealestategroup.com
DRE #01412944
Christine Almarines is a top real estate agent in Buena Park and Cerritos helping homeowners sell in Orange County and Los Angeles County.
This article is for general educational purposes and is not legal, lending, financial, tax, inspection, or other professional advice. Real estate contracts, contingencies, deposits, financing requirements, seller preferences, and market conditions vary. Buyers should review their individual circumstances with the appropriate licensed professionals before changing or waiving contractual protections.