Highest is NOT always BEST!

As a real estate agent, I have a number of instances where I need to work with my client to determine the highest and best.

Some people mistakenly think that the highest offer for a piece of real estate is always the best one for the seller. Often, it is a very big mistake to make that assumption.

So how does a prospective buyer make an offer that is the BEST without having to offer the highest dollar amount to the seller?

ANSWER: By learning what motivates them.

Here are a few things that may cause an offer to be chosen:

• The offer that yields the most money at closing…obviously.

• An offer that meets the Seller’s time parameters (Remember that a quick closing is not always desired. In fact, sometimes allowing the seller to take their time to move is the desired circumstance.)

• An offer that includes something of value which is not money. (For example, when a buyer is willing to do some of the make-ready tasks, it can often be quite attractive to a seller.)

• Meeting spiritual needs becomes important when there is a sense of what is the “right” use of the property. When a buyer has an intended use that makes the seller feel good. (Even though the seller is liquidating their investment, it does not always mean that the “heart and soul” invested in the house can be reduced to dollars.)

• A sale that meets the emotional needs of a Seller (Often a seller is willing to take much less than the market price in order to see it owned by a friend or family member.