You’d love to own that house, but how much should you offer for it?

You found the home of your dreams and everything feels just right. You want to ask your Texas REALTOR® “Where do I sign?” But before you submit an offer on the property, you have to decide how much that offer should be. So, how do you arrive at a number? Here's where it’s in your best interest to work with a Texas REALTOR® … and it’s why so many people do. In fact, a 2013 consumer survey found that the top three things buyers want from their real estate agent are help finding the right home to purchase, help with price negotiations, and help negotiating the terms of sale. When you’re ready to submit an offer, your Texas REALTOR® will use his or her resources and knowledge of the market to find the selling prices for comparable homes in the area that sold recently. This means he or she will look for properties nearby that have features similar to the one you’re interested in—square footage and number of bedrooms, for instance—to determine its market value. This number may differ from the asking price. Using the sale prices for comparable properties and other factors that can affect the property’s value, your Texas REALTOR® will help you present a strong offer to the sellers that gets you one step closer to the closing table.