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Once
you
find
the
home
you
want
to
buy,
the
next
step
is
to
write
an
offer
–
which
is
not
as
easy
as
it
sounds.
Your
offer
is
the
first
step
toward
negotiating
a
sales
contract
with
the
seller.
Since
this
is
just
the
beginning
of
negotiations,
you
should
put
yourself
in
the
seller’s
shoes
and
imagine
his
or
her
reaction
to
everything
you
include.
Your
goal
is
to
get
what
you
want,
and
imagining
the
seller’s
reactions
will
help
you
attain
that
goal.
The
offer
is
much
more
complicated
than
simply
coming
up
with
a
price
and
saying,
"This
is
what
I’ll
pay."
Because
of
the
large
dollar
amounts
involved,
especially
in
today’s
litigious
society,
both
you
and
the
seller
want
to
build
in
protections
and
contingencies
to
protect
your
investment
and
limit
your
risk.
In
an
offer
to
purchase
real
estate,
you
include
not
only
the
price
you
are
willing
to
pay,
but
other
details
of
the
purchase
as
well.
This
includes
how
you
intend
to
finance
the
home,
your
down
payment,
who
pays
what
closing
costs,
what
inspections
are
performed,
timetables,
whether
personal
property
is
included
in
the
purchase,
terms
of
cancellation,
any
repairs
you
want
performed,
which
professional
services
will
be
used,
when
you
get
physical
possession
of
the
property,
and
how
to
settle
disputes
should
they
occur.
It
is
certainly
more
involved
than
buying
a
car.
And
more
important.
Buying
a
home
is
a
major
event
for
both
the
buyer
and
seller.
It
will
affect
your
finances
more
than
any
other
previous
purchase
or
investment.
The
seller
makes
plans
based
on
your
offer
that
affect
his
finances,
too.
However,
it
is
more
important
than
just
money.
In
the
half-hour
it
takes
to
write
an
offer
you
are
making
decisions
that
affect
how
you
live
for
the
next
several
years,
if
not
the
rest
of
your
life.
The
seller
is
going
to
review
your
offer
carefully,
because
it
also
affects
how
he
or
she
lives
the
rest
of
their
life.
That
sounds
dramatic.
It
sounds
like
a
cliché.
Every
real
estate
book
or
article
you
read
says
the
same
thing.
They
all
say
it
because
it
is
true. |
