Your Offered Purchase Price

Here are some examples of things that should be included your offer:

• Your offered purchase price and the amount of earnest money you are putting down

• Home inspection contingencies: Since the inspection may take place after the offer is accepted, you need to state that the entire deal is contingent upon an acceptable inspection report. If the house is on a well and septic system rather than city water and sewer, these should also be inspected.

• Financing contingencies: You can also include a contingency for getting the mortgage you want (i.e., maximum interest rates, expected terms, etc.)

• Items included in the purchase: This list can include things like major appliances (often the refrigerator goes with the seller), lighting fixtures, shrubbery, basically anything that isn't nailed down and some things that are!

• Title contingencies: Your attorney will do a title search to make sure the property does not have any other legal claims against it and that the seller holds a clear title to it.

• Timeline: A deadline for responding so you know when to consider the offer rejected

There may also be other special considerations that your agent or attorney may recommend, so be sure to ask for their advice. The offered purchase price is, of course, the most important aspect of the offer. Here is where a buyer's agent really helps. A buyer's agent should be able to provide you with a comparative market analysis (CMA) that will show you what similar properties sold for in that particular neighborhood or the immediate surrounding area. This can also be used as ammunition if the seller counters your offered price. While the seller's agent probably provided them with a CMA before they listed the price, they may have chosen to price their home higher with the hope that buyers wouldn't have a similar document for comparison. Buyers who are using a traditional agent rather than a buyer's agent are pretty much on their own in deciding an appropriate offer.

­Armed with this comparative information, you might also make a quick drive by the other properties just to do your own comparison. Keep in mind that some of the amenities in the house may not increase the value of the home as much as the sellers might think. For instance, a backyard pool for some folks is a great advantage, while others may see it only as a liability and have immediate plans for filling it in with dirt and concrete!