Real Estate Purchase Contract Negotiations

If everything looks good, you may want to proceed in the process. The next step is to write up an offer to purchasethe home you found.

This is where the information you learned from questioning the seller can be quite useful. For example, if the seller has been transferred to another city, they may be very motivated to sell.

There are many different strategies for negotiating, but the one that I have seen produce the best results is not all that difficult. It starts by studying the market data to determine what the fair market value is for the house.

Your objective is to make your offer at a price that is lower than what the seller has in their mind as their "bottom line", but is close enough that they say, "Oh, I guess we will go ahead and take it".

Keep in mind the three basic options that a seller has when presented with an offer:

Purchase Contract Negotiations
Are Important Steps

Tips & Traps When Negotiating Real Estate (Tips and Traps) (Paperback) ~ Robert Irwin (Author) Surefire techniques for coming out on top in any real estate deal

A great book for anyone who is interested in real estate investing or planning to buy a new home, Tips & Traps When Negotiating Real Estate covers everything from financing and deposits, to better prices versus better terms, to handling brokers and sellers alike.

Bestselling real estate guru Bob Irwin breaks down all the common negotiating points by subject, and supplies you with checklists, forms, and boilerplates at every step along the way. You learn how to:

• Negotiate a lower interest rate with a lender
• Lower interest rates with seller financing
• Gain a lower commission from an agent
Accept the offer
Reject the offer
Make a counter offer

The seller will always want to accept the offer if possible, because if they sign it, they will have a deal that the buyer is bound to. If they make a counter offer, the buyer is "off the hook", and is no longer obligated contractually.

The price is always the focal point of the offer, but there are lots of additional areas that you need to address and pay close attention to also. In your offer, be as specific as possible about every aspect of the transaction. Details that are not clear or are left out can lead to big problems down the road.

Some of the items that you want to be sure to spell out in detail when putting together your offer include:

Negotiation Items



Price
Down Payment
Earnest Money Deposit
Interest Rate
Closing/Possession Dates
Loan Costs - Who Pays
Closing Costs - Who Pays What
Pro-Rations
Appraisal - Who Pays
Home Protection Plan
Inspections - What Type and Who Pays
Items Included (Washer/Dryer, etc.)
Title/Escrow Company/Attorney
Contingencies - What and How Long
Spelling out every detail can save lots of confusion and misunderstandings, and keep you out of a costly court battle!

One area where you need to be especially careful is contingencies. These are things that must or must not happen in order for the transaction to be valid.

For example, the purchase may be contingent upon you getting approved for your financing, on getting a favorable inspection report, or many other things. Make sure to spell out the contingency clearly, as well as what specifically will happen if the contingency is or isn't met.

The important thing is to keep your goals in mind throughout your negotiations. This will guide you, and help keep you from making bad decisions based on emotion.

Keep one important fact in mind: There is always another house! The Lodi / Stockton market in is never stagnant.

If you start to feel pressured or uncomfortable, step back and review your goals. Don’t let yourself be bullied around. Remember that the seller usually needs to sell that house a lot more than you need to buy it!

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