When you make an offer on a house, in some ways, it's the first serious step toward homeownership: You're telling the seller that you're interested enough in their property to literally put your money on the line. For a lot of buyers, the offer experience can often generate some anxiety around whether or not the seller will appreciate your offer enough to accept it ... and what to do if the seller decides to say "thanks, but no thanks." To make sure that you're setting yourself up for success and presenting the best possible offer, one that makes sense for both you and the seller, you need to do some preparation in advance, and you need to mentally prepare for some back-and-forth at the end of the process. Follow these 13 steps to write an offer that's more likely to be taken seriously by a seller, and to help prepare you for the realities of the sales process. **Get pre-approved** If you're not planning on paying all cash for a house -- and few of us in today's market can afford to do that -- then you'll need to secure financing for your mortgage loan to ensure that you can pay the seller the agreed-upon amount at the closing table. This means you'll want to get that financing sorted out before you make an offer; a seller is a lot more likely to consider accepting your offer if they know that the mortgage loan is already in the works. **Research the market** Every real estate market is different, and if you want to make sure you're not overpaying for a house that you could have bought for less money, then you'll need to do some research so that you can make an educated decision about what you think is a fair price. **Factor in the competition** When it comes to buying a house, there are two kinds of competition to consider. One is the competition that the home you're considering is up against -- what other homes are for sale nearby? **Weigh utilities and other costs** Being a homeowner is an excellent financial decision in many ways: You're building equity in your property with every mortgage payment, and you have a lot more control over remodeling and upgrading your house. **Learn about the HOA** Not every neighborhood has a homeowners association (HOA), but some do, and if the home you want to buy is in a neighborhood with an HOA, there are a few things you'll need to know before you decide it's a good fit for you. **Decide how attractive the house is to you** Sometimes you know a home is absolutely perfect for you and your household, but in many cases, you're going to be making compromises here and there. **Ask your agent for advice** Most of us don't buy or sell a house every day, and it can be difficult to know whether what we're thinking is reasonable or realistic -- or way off-base from what most buyers in the area are doing. **Prepare any earnest money** Some sellers will ask for earnest money to show the buyer is "earnest" about purchasing the home -- and other sellers might not ask for earnest money, but they may be swayed by an offer to provide earnest money. **Consider contingencies** Some mortgage loans will require certain contingencies -- for example, most lenders won't move forward with a loan without an inspection and appraisal of the home. **Determine your terms and conditions** There are other ways to sweeten your offer besides flexibility with contingencies, and depending on how competitive the market is, you might want to take advantage of some of those terms and conditions. **Submit the offer** Submitting the offer is possibly one of the most nerve-wracking parts of the home-buying process, but it obviously has to happen if you're going to have a chance at owning the house. **Negotiate** Don't be discouraged if the seller doesn't accept your offer immediately or doesn't accept your offer as-is. It's quite typical for a seller to come back with a counter-offer.
