6 Things That Make Home Sellers Leery of a Buyer

6 Things That Make Home Sellers Leery of a Buyer

Finding the house of your dreams can be a long and complicated process. You might spend months looking at houses and weighing the pros and cons of each one before deciding to make a purchase. When you finally find the right one, you don’t want to do anything to scare away the home sellers from working with you.

Home buyers should keep in mind the following six things that can make home sellers leery of working with you on the deal.

1. Contingencies

There are a few contingencies that are often included in a real estate offer. These include making the deal contingent on the home inspection and the appraisal. These are standard to most deals, and many sellers will not have a problem with them.

However, there are other contingencies that seem to push some sellers too far. These include when the buyer makes the offer contingent on their own home selling. When making an offer, think through which things are absolutely necessary for you to include.

2. A less than stellar lender

Home sellers don’t like the process to drag on when selling their house. They also don’t want to make it half-way through the escrow process only to find out that your lender will not approve you.

Make sure you work with a legitimate, stable, and well known lender. This will reassure the seller that the deal should be good.

3. Not being pre-approved

Buyers should always be pre-approved before they begin looking at houses. Home sellers like to see that you have gone through the process with a lender. If you have, they feel confident that you will be approved when the time comes for the mortgage loan.

Pre-qualified is not the same thing as being pre-approved. Talk to your lender about the difference, and then take the step to go through the process.

4. Financial issues

Home sellers are looking to accept an offer from someone that they believe is a sure deal. They will be looking for red flags about your financial situation. If you make a small earnest money deposit, don’t have a down payment, or make an extremely low offer, the seller might become uncomfortable.

5. Asking for home repairs

There are not many houses on the market that are in perfect condition and exactly to your taste. But that doesn’t mean the home sellers are going to be willing to make any changes for you. They could be interested in working out the details with you, or they could go with another buyer to avoid the hassle.

6. Asking for other items

Before you start asking to include furniture or artwork in the deal, you need to feel out the situation. Get a feel from the seller’s agent to see if they would be willing to include any household items, but don’t make assumptions. Asking for their personal belongings could make these sellers uncomfortable.

To have the best chance of getting your offer accepted, consider the deal through the eyes of the home sellers. What would make you uncomfortable if you were the seller? Take these things into consideration as you write your offer.