Making the offer
How do you make an offer to purchase?
Your Realtor will have a comprehensive purchase contract for you to review and sign. It covers not only the price, which most people are concern about, but also a zillion other terms that you don’t even know you should be concern about. But your agent, if you have a good one, will cover all your bases.
You will need to put down a deposit. This money will not be cashed until the offer is accepted, acknowledged by both parties, and escrow is opened. It is generally made out to your agent’s company for safekeeping.
Your agent then will take the purchase contract signed by you, and your deposit check, and present the offer to the seller and his agent at the first available opportunity. You as the buyer are not expected to be present. You can imagine it would be an awkward situation for the buyer and seller to meet face to face to negotiate. This is why you have an agent to negotiate on your behalf. Your agent, if you have a good one, will do his/her best to negotiate the best price and terms for you.
The seller may give an answer to your offer immediately, or they may take some time to think it over. It is customary to allow 3 days for a response, but I like to push for an answer immediately if at all possible.
The response will come back to your agent in the form of an acceptance, a counter offer, or a rejection, and your agent will communicate that to you. You can then proceed accordingly.