How to Compare Offers on a Condo: Price, Net Proceeds and Risk

Compare the amount you may keep before comparing certainty

Begin with price less the offer-specific credits or costs the seller would accept. Then subtract the common selling expenses in your net sheet. Keep the arithmetic separate from the judgment about whether the transaction will complete.

Three hypothetical offers on the same condo

Offer B has the highest price-minus-credit figure in this example, despite a lower headline price than A. It is not necessarily the best overall offer. Closing date, obligations, contingencies, evidence of funding and your own move still matter. The figures exclude other expenses and any differences those expenses may have across offers.

Do not label the last column “risk percentage” unless you have a defensible basis for a probability. A list of known dependencies is more honest and more useful than a made-up score such as “90% likely to close.”

The closing hub shows how the offer’s terms become inspection, document, financing and possession deadlines.

Read contingencies as events that must be resolved

A condition matters because of what must happen, who controls it and what the agreement says if it does not happen. Have the actual language explained. Similar-sounding terms can operate differently in different agreements.

A short deadline is useful only if the plan can meet it

An offer may propose an attractive closing date while leaving a required document or lender review unresolved. Ask how the buyer expects to complete those steps. An ambitious date should not receive extra credit merely because it is early.

Use the condo financing guide to identify property-related questions. Pair the proposed dates with your next-purchase funding plan if the two transactions depend on each other.

What does earnest money tell you about an offer?

Earnest money is one term to understand in the agreement. Ask when it must be deposited, who holds it and how the contract governs its disposition. A larger amount does not by itself establish that the buyer will complete the purchase or that the seller will receive it after a failed transaction.

Check the evidence behind a cash or financed offer

For a cash offer, have the authorized sale team verify appropriate evidence of available funds while protecting financial privacy. For a financed offer, understand the scope of the lender’s letter and what remains to be reviewed. The purpose is to evaluate the proposed transaction, not to collect private information beyond what the process requires.

Treat verbal assurances as questions to resolve in the proper documents. If a buyer says a condition will be removed, the seller should rely on the actual executed change and professional confirmation of its effect.

Choose the tradeoff that fits your move and record it

Before selecting an offer, write down your own priorities: minimum workable proceeds, required possession date, tolerance for unresolved conditions and flexibility if the closing changes. Keep the list short enough that it can guide a real choice.

An example of a timing tradeoff

Suppose the offer with the highest preliminary net requires you to leave two weeks before your next home is available. Obtain a real temporary-housing and moving estimate. If the alternative offer fits your possession needs, compare that convenience and cost against the net difference. Do not assume the inconvenience is free or assign it an arbitrary value without considering your situation.

1. Reconcile the price, credits and other offer-specific costs.
2. List unresolved conditions and who can confirm each one.
3. Check closing and possession against your actual move.
4. Ask for clarification before the response deadline.
5. Record the reason for your decision and use the proper written agreement.

Keep the selected terms in the net-proceeds worksheet and update it after any inspection or appraisal negotiation. The offer comparison is a starting record that should remain consistent with the transaction as it changes.

How should you handle an offer that is difficult to compare?

Ask for the uncertainty to be resolved before giving the offer a score. A proposed credit described as “up to” an amount, an unclear included-item request or an ambiguous possession arrangement can make the apparent net unreliable.

Do not fill a missing term with the most favorable interpretation

A hypothetical offer is $5,000 higher than another but asks the seller to complete work without a defined scope. Until the work is understood, the higher offer’s financial advantage cannot be calculated honestly. Request clarification through the sale team and consider the effect of the response deadline.

Keep the written versions organized. A counteroffer can change several terms at once, so compare the current complete proposal rather than combining the best parts of an earlier offer with a later message. Have the responsible professional explain which version is operative.

If the offer includes a clause you do not understand, get the appropriate explanation before accepting it. The comparison worksheet helps organize the decision, but the agreement determines the obligations.

Ask Richard McDonough to present the tradeoffs clearly

Richard McDonough is named on the seller side of the Terra Springs B01 public record. In your own sale, ask how he will present multiple offers, explain differences and obtain any specialist answers needed before you decide.

The local listing record supports the interview context without revealing private negotiations from those transactions. Ask for a written comparison of your actual offers. The next guides cover appraisal questions and inspection responses.