Once we have found a house that you like, we make an offer to purchase. Every agent within our team is a skilled negotiator. Having a strategy is very important. There are two ways this process works in our current market.
1) We are lucky enough to negotiate a deal.
We make an offer to purchase the property for the amount we believe the property to be worth, and we have conditions written in the offer for your protection. There could be a little back-and-forth negotiation. Common conditions are 5 business days for Financing approval, Home Inspection, and Insurance approval. If the property is a condo, 10 – 15 days for lawyers’ approval of Condo Documents. If the property is rural, 14-21 days for Water Potability, Septic, Well Flow Rate or Water Pressure). We can also add a condition for us to sell your home.
Once the offer has been accepted by both the Buyer and the Seller, the buyer must deliver a deposit to the trust account holding the deposit described in the agreement within 24 hours after acceptance. Once we have satisfied all conditions, we remove them by signing a document. The property would now be considered sold. At this time we send all the paperwork to your lawyer. We usually write in the agreement that the buyer will have the opportunity to visit the home 1-3 times prior to the date of possession.
2) We are in a multiple offer situation / competing offers.
There are 2 or more buyers offering on the same property. This process requires caution and a firm understanding of the current market conditions. The offers are submitted within a specified time frame for the seller to review at a specific time. The buyers provide an irrevocable time for the seller to respond within. The seller will be looking for the most attractive offer to them. Usually the highest price, least amount of conditions (if any), the highest deposit, and a compatible closing date.
If you do not have the blessing of your lender to go in without a condition of finance, then you are at your own risk. We will discuss all risks in detail with you prior to you making a firm offer.
If the seller chooses to accept your offer, the deposit will be delivered within the 24 hour period, and all documents will be forwarded to your lawyer and lender. There are no conditions that mean the house is sold firm.