Step 1
Price it from the comps, not from the list price
Before you write a number, pull recent sales that match the home and agree on a range with your buyer. The list price is the seller's opinion. The comps are what your buyer can defend if the appraisal comes in low. Decide the opening number and the highest number before you write, so the counteroffer isn't a surprise.
You do
- The price conversation with your buyer, and the walk-away number
Hand off
- Pulling recent comparable sales and a price range
Step 2
Write the terms the seller will trust
After the price, sellers look at certainty: the deposit, the financing and the pre-approval, the length of the inspection period, and a closing date that works for them. A shorter inspection period or a closing date that fits the seller's move can beat a higher price. Use the purchase contract your brokerage or association requires, and read every blank before it goes out.
You do
- Choosing the terms with your buyer
Hand off
- Filling the purchase contract from the deal record, with each missing value asked for, not guessed
Step 3
Call the listing agent, then send a complete package
Before you send, call the listing agent. Ask what matters most to the seller, whether other offers are in, and when the seller will decide. Then send everything in one email: the signed offer, the pre-approval or proof of funds, the deposit details, and a short note on why your terms fit what the seller wants. A missing page puts your offer at the bottom of the pile.
You do
- What you say about your buyer, and the follow-up call
Hand off
- A call to the listing agent with questions you approve
- The cover email, drafted for you to send
Step 4
On the listing side, compare offers by the net
When offers come in on your listing, put each one on the same page: price, seller credits, financing, deposit, inspection period, and closing date. Then show the seller what they walk away with at each one. A higher price with a large credit can net less than a lower, cleaner offer. A net sheet is an estimate; the final numbers come from the closing statement.
You do
- The conversation with the seller, and the counteroffer
Hand off
- One side-by-side list of the offers' terms
- A seller net sheet at each offer's price and credits
Step 5
Don't stop at accepted, get it fully signed
A verbal yes isn't a contract. Get every party's signature and initials on every change, and confirm the effective date in writing. The same day, send the signed contract to the title company or the closing agent and to the lender, and confirm the deposit is on its way. From the effective date, the contract's deadlines start to run.
You do
- Confirming the effective date with the other agent
Hand off
- Sending the contract for signature, after you say send
- Reading the signed contract and listing the effective date, the closing date, and each deadline
Set it up once
Send Reddy this message once, in your own words. Reddy saves it as a playbook and follows it each time that work comes up. You can read and change it in the Workspace.
When I write an offer, fill my purchase contract from the deal and ask me for anything that's missing, then draft my cover email to the listing agent. When offers come in on one of my listings, make a seller net sheet at each offer's price and credits so I can compare them.
Where Reddy fits
Send Reddy the address, and it pulls recent comparable sales and gives an estimated value and a price range. Save the purchase contract you already use once, and Reddy fills its fields for each deal from what you tell it and what the deal record holds, asking for anything missing instead of guessing. The filled copy comes back to your chat to review, and Reddy sends it for signature only after you say send. With the purpose and the questions you approve, it calls the agent on the other side.
On a listing, give Reddy each offer's price, commission, and credits, and it sends an itemized seller net sheet as a PDF for each one. Once the contract is signed, send it to Reddy, and it lists the effective date, the closing date, and the deadlines it finds; you check each date before you rely on it. The price advice, the negotiation, and every call to your client stay with you.
Questions agents ask
How do you write an offer on a house as a realtor?
Agree on a price range with your buyer from recent comparable sales, choose the terms, and fill the purchase contract your brokerage or association requires. Call the listing agent before you send, then send the offer, the pre-approval or proof of funds, and the deposit details in one email.
What is earnest money, and who holds it until closing?
Earnest money is the buyer's good-faith deposit. The contract names who holds it, usually a title company, a closing attorney, or a brokerage escrow account, and it's credited to the buyer at closing. Ask what deposit is normal in your market before you write the number.
Can a buyer withdraw an offer on a house?
Before the seller's acceptance is delivered, a buyer can usually withdraw. After that, the contract's own terms decide, such as the inspection period and the financing contingency. Check the rules for your state with your broker or a real estate attorney.
Should a buyer send a letter to the seller?
Be careful. A letter can tell the seller things about the buyer, such as family or religion, that fair housing rules say must play no part in the decision. Check your brokerage's policy first, and let the terms make the case.
How do you compare multiple offers?
Put each offer's price, credits, financing, deposit, inspection period, and closing date side by side. Then show the seller the estimated net at each one. The highest price isn't always the best offer when it carries a large credit or weaker financing.