How to Get Your Offer Accepted


There are a few crucial steps you need to take when putting an offer on a home to get an edge over the competition.

According to the CA Association of Realtors there will be multiple offers on any given property 98% of the time. You will be competing, so you need a strong agent with experience and a proven track record to help you purchase your dream home or investment property.

Here are a few great tips on how to get your offers accepted over your competition.

1. Be available - when a home comes on the market you need to get out there to see within 24 hrs – you’re competing and sometimes it is a race – be available.


"Don’t mess around writing a low offer hoping to save a few dollars off your monthly mortgage."


2. Write a strong offer right out of the gate – come in high and strong, if not someone else will and could potentially get the house. Don’t mess around writing a low offer hoping to save a few dollars off your monthly mortgage. Saving $8.00 a month is not worth losing the house.

3. Make sure the offer is signed thru Docusign. It’s neat, clean, fast and looks professional.

4. Now when your agent submits the offer it should include your pre-qualification letter, proof of funds, which is your deposit, down payment and a personal letter. This alone can separate you from similar offers.

5. Increase your earnest money deposit, you’re buying a house not a cell phone – put down a minimum of 1-3% of the purchase price. This shows the seller you are committed.

6. Contingency period is typically 17 – 21 days; this is the period in which you/buyer does their due diligence – inspections – loan approval – reduce this to 14 days. 14 days is plenty of time to get everything done.  Why is this so important? Until you remove ALL of your contingencies in writing you can cancel the purchase agreement at any time. The sellers do not want to wait 21 days – 14 days will separate you from the competition.

7. The escrow period should be 30 days – there is no reason for it to go longer.

Follow my steps and your offer will be accepted. It’s easy and can make huge difference in separating you from the competition.

**A broker is licensed to render real estate advice. If you desire tax, legal or lending advice, consult the appropriate professional. Videos and marketing by Broker are intended to help educate the public. Laws and real estate practices may change at anytime.  All information deemed reliable but is not guaranteed and determined on a case-by-case basis. If your property is listed, please disregard as it is not our intention to solicit. We cooperate fully with other brokers. Equal Housing Opportunity and member of the National Association of Realtors.

Why You Can’t Trust a Zestimate


You can trust a Zestimate to give you an accurate home value, right? Wrong. Here are the facts.

According to the National Association of Realtors, 92% of home buyers use the internet when searching for a home – and many of them use Zillow.   You search for a home to buy or the value of your home and receive what is called a Zestimate.   Zillow wants you to believe that their Zestimate is the real value for your home.

Can you trust a Zestimate? No, you can’t. Zillow allows the public to input the data which many times, is completely inaccurate. The Zestimate is based on user-submitted data.  In fact, and I’m quoting directly from the Zillow site….

“The Zestimate is calculated from public and user-submitted data, taking into account special features, location, and market conditions. We encourage buyers, sellers, and homeowners to supplement Zillow's information by doing other research such as:

Getting a comparative market analysis (CMA) from a real estate agent - free
Getting an appraisal from a professional appraiser $400-$600
Visiting the house (whenever possible) using a real estate agent –free”

All of which require the knowledge and experience from a local real estate professional.

What I am going to tell you now, does happen, and happens often….

Some people planning on selling their home (and you know people check Zillow), go to Zillow and add some home improvements to their property to increase the “value” of their home. There are some unprofessional agents out there who actually help people increase their Zestimates, or value of their home, to make it seem like their home is worth more than it is. In short, Zestimates can be adjusted and influenced.

Zillow goes on to say they have never been to your house; that Zestimate has no idea how your home stacks up against others in the area, so consult a Realtor. 

So, how accurate are Zestimates in San Diego County? Zillow admits the Zestimates in San Diego County are off by 10% or more, which means if your house is worth $600,000, the Zestimate can be $60,000 too high or $60,000 to low--and that is a lot.

Zillow is kind of like WebMD; if you are curious about a health condition, then you can look up some data on WebMD. If you are seriously concerned about your health, you will go to the doctor. You won’t trust your health to information from WebMD. Why trust the value of your house to some website? 

Let me bottom line this for you – If would like a truly accurate market price valuation of your home, based on facts, contact a full time real estate professional. In fact, I invite you to look up your Zestimate and send it to me. I will then compare your property to recently sold homes in your area and we’ll see how accurate Zillow actually is. 


**A broker is licensed to render real estate advice. If you desire tax, legal or lending advice, consult the appropriate professional. Videos and marketing by Broker are intended to help educate the public. Laws and real estate practices may change at anytime.  All information deemed reliable but is not guaranteed and determined on a case-by-case basis. If your property is listed, please disregard as it is not our intention to solicit. We cooperate fully with other brokers. Equal Housing Opportunity and member of the National Association of Realtors.