In order to get the best deal from a seller, the agents of either party must create a win-win for their respective clients.

Keep the Offer Competitive: A buyer can’t get the best deal if they don’t get their initial offer accepted. A buyer’s agent will help write the offer and base it off of comparable properties, the competitiveness of the marketplace, and local housing inventory levels. Now keeping an offer competitive doesn’t necessarily mean submitting an offer at list price or above list price. For example, if there’s a buyer’s market (where housing inventory supersedes number of buyers), or if there is zero competition for a home, you can submit a low offer in line with the lack of competition.

Keep the Deadlines as Tight as (feasibly) possible: In the offer to purchase form, along with the buyer’s official bid, a buyer’s agent must also write in deadlines for the housing Inspection, the signing of the purchase and sale agreement, the mortgage application date, the mortgage approval date, and the closing date. A buyer who keeps these deadlines intentionally tight, thereby shortening the length of the entire real estate transaction, may get the edge over another buyer who is offering a similar amount. Obviously, tightening deadlines means doing so within reason, and not trying to pull the impossible by getting a home inspection and purchase and sale agreement all done within 3 days.

Waiving Home Inspections (warning attached): This is extremely risky and should never be advised unless the agent or buyer know for a material fact that there is nothing materially wrong with the home. I am only writing this because at the time of writing, we are in a historical seller’s market where buyers are waiving home inspections just to beat their competition. This goes hand in hand with keeping deadlines tight, as a seller who wants to sell quick will be enticed by a buyer’s offer that bypasses the 7 to 10 day home inspection period. Bypassing that home inspection may help get the sale completed sooner and for a lower amount. However, please see the warning here to buyers who are tempted to skip home inspections.

Flexing Your Strengths: When submitting an offer, a buyer’s agent will be sure to emphasize to the seller why their client is the best buyer. The buyer’s agent may mention that the buyer has a large downpayment, a strong pre-approval backed by good credit and steady employment, or they have a special affinity for the home (maybe this is the only house the buyer bid for). Whatever the reason may be, the seller needs to have the comfort that the buyer won’t cause the deal to collapse, either because the buyer can’t get a mortgage approval or because of cold feet. Touting a buyer’s strengths will not only help the offer get accepted, but also help further negotiations for repairs to go smoothly, as the seller knows the buyer will be doing so in good faith.

Negotiating Repairs: After a buyer’s home inspection is complete, negotiating the repairs on a home can turn into a tug of war between the two opposing parties. It is very important during this part of negotiations we make this a win/win for everybody as certain repairs could represent deal killers for either party. Sometimes a seller will agree to do the some or all of the needed repairs, however a seller may not always repair the way a buyer would like. My advice when a buyer has reservations about a seller’s ability to fix the repairs themselves, is to negotiate it out of the portion of the down payment that is brought to closing. So that way a buyer can bring less dollars to the closing table and have that cash in hand to be able to fix whatever the issue is.