Possible Reasons Why a Seller May Reject Your Offer on a House

It is very disappointing to encounter sellers who will reject your offer for some reason. If you got your heart set on a piece of real estate property, you should know that these things happen quite often, and sometimes you really can't help but face disappointment when you can't get the house that you want. That's why it's not wise to get emotionally attached to a house before you get it into escrow. Perhaps this is difficult but even then, you have to expect that there are some things that may still go wrong.

Let's say you were looking around Seattle homes for sale and decided to make an offer on this beautiful Seattle real estate. You look at the house and you make your best guess on how much you can offer for it. You think that you made a reasonable offer and you're not sure why it was declined. In fact, not all listing agents will tell you why your offer has been declined, which makes it a lot more frustrating.

Here are some common reasons why offers are usually declined by sellers:

1. You offered too low - Sometimes, making a mistake on offering too low from the list price may really tick the seller off and lead them to believe that you're not serious about buying the property. If the price is ridiculously low from their point of view, they may not be willing to continue with the negotiations. They won't make a counter offer and that's it. It's a dead end for you because negotiations have already stopped.

2. Your offer didn't match up with what the seller needed - Sometimes a seller is looking for a buyer who can be amenable to some of his/her needs. For example, if you made the offer on this Seattle real estate and the owner has his sights on another piece of real estate (i.e. he's moving up). If this is the case, he'll be on the lookout for a buyer who may be willing to accept his contingency that he'll only sell the house if the owner of the house he wants to buy accepts his offer, or that the buyer will agree to a long closing. If your expectations on early vacancy doesn't coincide with the seller's needs, he may be more inclined to go with other buyers.

Ideally, before you make an offer on the place, it's better to ask the seller's agent. Call the listing agent and find out if the owner has any special needs or considerations such as long escrow period, a substantial earnest money, whether the owner wants the property to be bought as is, and the likes. It's really important that you know what the seller wants so that you can have a better chance of having success at negotiations.

It's difficult not to get heartbroken when your offer gets rejected, especially if you have already pinned your hopes on a particular house. However, these things happen, which is why you should be prepared before making an offer. Make sure that you have a pre-approval letter handy, that you have researched on the prices of comparable homes in the area, and other things that will give you a better insight on how much to offer on a property. Remember that offering low may not always be the best way to go.

Jack Forsythe is a writer specializing in real estate properties and other related topics. Visit our website for more information about Seattle homes for sale and to look at Seattle real estate listings.