Selling Your Home
What should I do when my home gets multiple offers?
By Steve Lockhart
The short answer
When the stack arrives, slow down and build a compare table: price, cash or financing, deposit, inspection rights, appraisal treatment, closing date, credits, and the risk each buyer carries. Run every offer through the net sheet so the true value appears in its own row.
Full answer
When the stack arrives, slow down and build a compare table: price, cash or financing, deposit, inspection rights, appraisal treatment, closing date, credits, and the risk each buyer carries. Run every offer through the net sheet so the true value appears in its own row. The highest price can still be the riskiest if the buyer's cash is thin, the loan strict, or the close long. Then you have real choices: accept the strongest, counter the top one or two, or ask the finalists to submit a best and final by a deadline, turning the heat into its own competition. That step must be handled fairly and in writing, with everything disclosed as the process requires. Multiple offers is the seller's strongest moment, and handled systematically it wins the best price and the cleanest close, not just the loudest number.
Go a little deeper
Frequently asked
Questions sellers often follow up on
Should I tell buyers they are in competition?
Yes, and we must be transparent and fair. Truthfully telling a buyer there is real interest lets them put their best foot forward, and it is standard. It is done respectfully, in writing where it matters, and the count is never misrepresented.
Should I ask for best and final?
When you have a few genuine finalists, a best-and-final round with a firm deadline often produces the strongest overall package, not just the highest price. It works best when run quickly, fairly, and in writing.
Can the highest offer still be the riskiest?
Yes. An offer with weak financing, an aggressive appraisal position, or a long list of asks can be a high number that dies in escrow. The net column and the risk column should always be read above the price column.
The Lockhart Method
The Lockhart Method
Your Home | My Strategy | Proven Results
My strategy: convert the heat into a decision table, ranking each offer by net, risk, and timing, inviting the best and final when it helps, and moving the winner into a clean contract. The moment is strong; the plan keeps it that way.
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