Most offers to purchase your house will require some level of negotiating to come to a win-win agreement. It is critical that you be well versed on the legalities of the real estate contract used in your area. In addition to legal issues, you will need to understand contract basics, including what each contract clause means to you and your buyer, what you will net from the sale of your home, and what areas in the contract lend themselves easiest to negotiation. Some of the things that you may have to negotiate on are:

• The price
• Financing
• Closing costs
• Repairs that need to be done
• Appliances and fixtures
• Landscaping
• Painting
• Occupancy time frame

To really gain some insight into why potential buyers are pursuing the purchase of your house and how they might proceed in the negotiations, it is important to know as much about the buyer as possible, especially their motivation for buying. Once both parties have reached a point where the deal is acceptable, you must be certain that you have a legally executable contract.

Your agent can save you time and money by representing you through the offer, negotiation, and acceptance process. He or she will review the written offer with you to make sure that you thoroughly understand what the buyers are offering and what they are asking in return. They will be able to help you understand the issues and how they will effect you. It is your agents primary responsibility to protect your best interest throughout these negotiations.