These are common questions I hear at open houses or from calls off my signs.  The answers are simple how much are you willing to offer and how motivated are you to buy.  To be honest these aren’t bad questions, just ones that aren’t going to get you very far in terms of negotiating.  Almost all sellers aren’t going to give you a bottom line and deals aren’t made over the phone.  Deals are made on paper.  You may hear many times over a real estate agent beckon the words “just write an offer and put the ball in play.”  Really, what is the worst that can happen; you are denied, you wasted some paper and probably 45 minutes of your day.  On the other hand if you prove through your initial offer that you are a qualified buyer who has the ability to close, then you will probably receive a counter offer.  The counter offer is your first step towards reaching a sellers bottom line.  Most sellers don’t know there bottom line until they are in a counter offer situation.  By countering back and forth each side is trying to find a common ground.  At any time either side can walk away.  Bottom Line, if you are a buyer and your wondering what a seller might take, talk to your agent, check the comps and WRITE AN OFFER!

-Mac

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