Buying guide
Offer strategy: choose terms you can live with
A strong offer isn’t just price. It’s the full risk profile: timelines, contingencies, and what you’re willing to compromise on.
The offer framework
Ask these before you submit anything.
- 🎯What are we optimizing for?Speed, certainty, price, or flexibility — pick one primary goal.
- 🧠What can you tolerate?Risk tolerance should determine contingency choices.
- 🗓️Timeline constraintsClosing timing can matter as much as price for some sellers.
- 🔎Inspection postureKnow how you’ll handle findings before you open escrow.
Clean offers
Clean offers can win, but only if you can tolerate the risk and verify key unknowns.
Balanced offers
Most buyers do best with balanced terms that protect downside without killing competitiveness.
Patience offers
If timeline is flexible, you can optimize for downside protection and price.
Want local negotiation context?
Street-level pricing nuance and seller priorities are local. A good agent helps you avoid expensive mistakes.