Offers & Negotiation

Seller credits can be used for almost any type of repair. They come directly from the seller’s pocket or can be tacked on to the final cost of the home.

Any mortgage over a specific dollar amount set by the Federal Housing Finance Agency is called a jumbo loan. The cutoff for jumbo loans is updated each year.

Investors are cold calling homeowners to buy their houses. Many of these offers are legitimate, but they probably won’t get you top dollar for your home.

Deciding what to do with a major asset like a house when a personal relationship breaks down is a challenge. These are your options for if that day comes.

If you have burning questions that come to mind when buying a home, don’t be afraid to ask the property's seller directly. Here are some good ones.

You aren’t required to accept the first offer, or any offer, you receive. But there may be financial repercussions, especially if there is only one offer.

If you’ve made it to closing day, there’s a good chance your real estate deal will go through. However, during the pending and offer periods, things can awry.

Is there anything worse than the feeling of going above your budget for a home, only to lose out anyway? Here's how to win a bidding war.

What to offer on a house depends on the market, what shape the home is in, and the seller’s needs. Here's how to make a low offer, and by how much.

What can you do if you have lots of viewings but no offers? How long should you expect your house to stay on the market?

If you want to negotiate the best price, upgrades (such as a new roof), or concessions when buying a house, take it from the experts.

A home appraisal happens after you make an offer on a home and typically takes two days to a week to complete.

Juggling both buying and selling isn't easy, so some people choose to include a home sale contingency in their offer on a new home.

If a property has an active contingent status, it means the seller has accepted an offer from a potential buyer. However, the home sale isn't finalized yet.

A contingent offer is an offer on a house that isn't finalized until certain conditions are met, usually for the buyer’s protection.

Seller concessions, sometimes called closing cost credits, are paid by the seller on behalf of the buyer, and they're more common in buyer's markets.