Making the Offer
THE PRICE YOU BID SHOULD BE YOUR OWN DECISION!.
Never ask an agent what you should bid. A K&D agent will prepare a competitive market analysis to determine if your home is priced correctly.
There are three mandatory forms you must be provided.
Agency Disclosure – Defines the type of agency relationship between you and your agent.
Property Disclosure – Seller’s declaration of the condition and history of the property.
Lead Base Paint – Notification of any known lead base paint hazards.
The amount of your bid may be determined by whether or not you need any seller assistance in financing the loan.
The seller response to your bid can be as follows:
Accept - As written in its entirety. Counter-offer – the sellers make changes to the contract that they don’t like. It is important to note that under this scenario there is no contract. Another buyer could buy the house.
Rejection – Self explanatory.
Be realistic about your offer. Many a buyer has missed out on their dream home because of not heeding this caution.
Earnest Money
You will most likely be required to include earnest money with your offer. Earnest money is essentially “good faith” money. It is not an expense to the buyer. The Earnest money will be credited to the buyer at the closing.
What if I change my mind about buying the house?
If you change your mind after the contract has been accepted the earnest money in most cases will be forfeited.
Common Sense
Prior to signing the contract, read the contract in its entirety. If you don’t understand something ask your agent to explain. Once the contract is signed by both the buyer and seller it is a binding contract.
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