Here are the factors a seller considers when weighing and measuring the strength of an offer. We have these listed in importance of "weight" to sellers in most general cases. The further down the list, the less "weight" a offer term holds.

1. Purchase Price: Usually the first thing an agent does to "rank" offers when presenting them to a seller is rank them in order of highest net offer to lowest. Then they go down the list of the other factors and determine if the highest price also is the most "secure" with the best overall terms.

2. Financing Type: Cash is king, conventional loans are seen as the next "strongest" the Government sponsored loans are not perceived as strong generally. If other parts of your offer are great, you can win out a cash offer even with a financed one.

3. Down Payment Amount: The reason a seller cares about down payment amount is because it shows your available liquid cash. Can you help cover some of the cost of the home out of pocket if it doesn't appraise (if the market is hot)? Are you able to have some wiggle room on your loan if needed having the extra cash to make financing more favorable.

4. Contingencies: Contingencies are elements of a contract that you have the option to back out without financial repercussions. If you remove contingencies, your earnest money, up-front-deposit, or due diligence money is non-refundable. Common contingencies include: Due diligence (home inspection), Financing, and appraisal. Removing these strengthens a perceived offer, but can come at great risk. We recommend consulting a local Realtor Professional about your specific area.

5. Closing Costs: As a buyer, you can ask a seller to pay for seller paid closing costs. Traditionally the way this is done is if one were to offer on a 300,000 home, but needed $6,000 in closing costs, in a competitive situation they may offer $306,000 with asking for $6,000 in seller paid closing costs. Even though this nets the seller the exact same as an offer of a flat $300,000, it is perceived as weaker.

6. Time to Close: A standard contract is 30 days. Any more than that- weakens an offer. Less than 30 days strengthens it unless the seller needs time to move out.

7. Up-Front Deposit: AKA earnest money or due diligence money. If you put less than 1% of the purchase price down in most areas you are considered not serious. The more you put, the more serious you are. But at some point the amount has diminishing returns. Ask your realtor what is a standard deposit in your area