Finally! My clients and I have found the perfect home. Now, how do we determine how to make the best offer? There are many factors depending on my clients situation and the home in question, but the "history report" is a crucial piece of information.

This report allows me to see behind the scenes, and kind of like reading tea leaves, gives me guidance on how to approach an offer. Take this active listing, for example. The same realtor has listed it beginning in April of last year. I can see the list price has gone from $374,900 down to the current price of $299,000. If I dig further, I can see whether the house is a bank owned or short sale. That will help determine if there is any more room to negotiate. On the other hand, because the listing has become a bit shopworn, it's very possible the current list price is- at last- reflecting the true market value. A quick search of the latest neighborhood sales will determine that.

Are the sellers still in the home, or have they moved on leaving the house vacant? A conversation with the listing agent may give me further information upon which to reach a decision. Has the home gone pending and then BOM (back on market)? If so, why- were there issues with an earlier inspection? Have those issues been resolved?

So you see, when a buyer asks- "What do I offer?" many factors are taken into consideration to writing up not just an offer, but an offer that will be accepted. That's the most successful offer of all when it comes to finally finding the perfect home.