Sweeten the offer: How to make your home bid stand out

More than 4 million Americans buy a home each year, but theres no telling how many offers are discarded along the way. And no one wants to get edged out in the bid for a dream home.

Real estate is rebounding in many regions of the country, and buyers can face formidable competition.

Of course, the best way to snag the home you want is to promise the most money. But theres more to making an offer than simply setting and stating your price.

Here, two top real-estate agents in a perpetually competitive market Washington, D.C. share pointers on crafting an offer that will outshine the rest.

Show them the money. The key, both say, is assuaging the sellers fears. They worry mainly that the deal will fall through, so have your financing in order before you submit an offer.

Make sure the lender checks your credit, assets and employment status before preapproving your loan, and get a detailed letter with the amount you are authorized to borrow, recommends Elizabeth Blakeslee, a Coldwell Banker broker.

Another way to signal you are a serious buyer is by putting down a large, good-faith deposit. A 2 to 4 percent escrow deposit is common.

However, Nancy Itteilag of Long and Foster real estate, who has been listed among the top 10 agents in the country for sales volume by The Wall Street Journal/REAL Trends, tells her clients to write a check for at least 10 percent. Within 30 days, the buyer will need to hand over this money as part of the down payment anyway.

If the seller has a nice deposit in escrow, they know the buyer is not going to wake up and change their mind, she says.

Eliminate surprises. The other unknown that keeps sellers up at night is dread of repairs, Blakeslee says. Most offers are contingent on a home inspection. To eliminate that variable, have the inspection done before putting in an offer, and specify any repairs you expect the seller to make. That way there wont be surprises later.

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Sweeten the offer: How to make your home bid stand out