Ready to Buy a Home? 5 Tips to Help You Make an Offer

When it’s time to purchase a home, you want to find a place that’s perfect for your living situation. That task has been a bit more challenging the last few years with a low inventory of homes available and high buyer demand. On the Mississippi Gulf Coast, we’re seeing the number of available homes increase, which means your odds of finding that perfect home are increasing, too. When your real estate agent helps you find it and you’re ready to make an offer,  here are a few tips to keep in mind:

1. Set Your Budget
Knowing how much house you can afford is crucial. Connecting with a lender to get pre-approved for a loan before you begin your homebuying journey will help set parameters for your search. It also shows sellers that you are serious, and being prequalified could give you an edge if there are multiple offers. The real estate experts at Expect Realty can assist you in finding a lender on the Mississippi Gulf Coast that other clients have had success with in their transactions. 

2. Prepare to Make an Offer Quickly
Once you’ve established your search criteria and found “the one,” be prepared to make an offer sooner rather than later. When you find your home in Ocean Springs, Biloxi, Gulfport, Long Beach or any of our other coastal communities, a real estate professional will help you stay on top of every opportunity to find a home that suits your needs. Once you find that home, your REALTOR® will help you submit an offer quickly.

3. Trust Your REALTOR®
For most people, the process of purchasing a home can be a bit overwhelming at times. Your real estate professional deals with the ins and outs of buying homes regularly, it’s their forte. Rely on your agent’s expertise, it will help you when dealing with competition and in situations where you might need to do things a bit unconventionally to make your offer stand out.  

4. Make a Fair Offer
Everyone loves getting a good deal, and prior to the pandemic an offer of at or near the asking price was attractive to a seller. Today, we are in a seller’s market with fewer homes listed than in a neutral market, and buyer competition is stronger than in the past. With a competitive market, offers must be strong yet fair based upon demand and recent sales in the area.

5. Negotiate with Flexibility
Once your offer is made you need to be prepared not only for a counteroffer from the seller, but also to make adjustments to your initial offer. The seller may counter with a higher price, flexible move-in dates or other conditions to be met before closing. Your agent will walk you through any counter offers to ensure that you are comfortable before coming to an agreement.  

Bottom Line
A real estate professional can help you through all aspects of the homebuying process, from finding a lender to make a strong offer and, ultimately, handing over the keys to your new home. When it’s time for you to purchase a home on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, call the real estate experts at Expect Realty.