Welcome to the second post in my San Antonio Home Buying OODA Loop series!  What is an OODA Loop?  Check out the post here! To recap, our first step in the decision making process/cycle is to observe.  You can find that post here.  Next in the home buying process is to orient.  You’ve found the San Antonio home, or the Helotes home that you want to buy – now comes the offer.  From this point forward it can be a whirlwind of contracts, negotiations, and more.  If you have a good San Antonio REALTOR they will keep you well informed and communicate quickly and efficiently with you.  You as a client should NEVER be worried about what is happening with the offer – you should always be in the “know.”

There are many many options and things to consider when putting together your initial offer.  A few of these are:

When is closing?

How long do I want the option period to be?

How much closing costs do I want the seller to pay?

Am I paying for the survey?

Your REALTOR will be able to break down each part with you.  Creating an initial offer is important and a REALTOR wants to get the best deal for his clients while keeping their financial needs in mind.  If a buyer is very serious about a specific house, the buyer can ask to go in at full price with seller paying all closing costs.  This can be attractive to a home seller because they know the buyer is serious, and they can possibly pay for closing costs from any equity they have.  The quicker a seller can sell their house, the happier and more likely they will be to accept that initial offer.

The other option is to pick and choose – come in at a lower price, pick and choose which closing costs you’d like the seller to pay.  Almost everything in an offer is negotiable.  You want your initial offer to be so stunning, its an offer they can’t refuse!  The important thing to remember is try to stay away from lowball offers!  They have a time and place, but an experience San Antonio REALTOR will be able to guide you when it comes to those types of offers.

Once you’ve “oriented” yourself towards the house you desire, sent that offer, maybe had some negotiations, and that offer has been accepted – it is time to ACT!  Stay tuned for my next post talking about the “Act” portion of the decision making cycle.