If you are working with an agent they will write up the offer.  You will need to tell them how much you want to offer and what terms you want.  Your agent will know what items are traditionally paid for by the seller and what is paid for by the buyer.

The key word here is “traditionally” because in real estate everything is negotiable.  If you want to include certain items of personal property, this is the time to do it.

Appliances

It is customary to include the appliances. Each item should be listed individually, i.e.: White Frigidaire side-by-side refrigerator; Frigidaire gas range; Kenmore washer and dryer; etc.  Take some pictures of the appliances and any other personal property  to be included in the offer when you walk through the house so that you can verify it is all the same stuff the day before or day of the closing.  I have received many washer dryer sets, lawnmowers, a tractor, 4-wheeler; large aquarium full of salt water creatures, irrigation equipment, trailers and many other items of personal property, just because I included them in the offer at this point of the process.

Escrow

Escrow is the time between when you have an accepted a “Buy-Sell” or “Purchase Contract” and the closing where you actually become the owner of the property.  During escrow you can do various things to investigate the condition of the property as well as financing, insurance, feasibility and cost of improvements as well as zoning, title, easements and things like that. This is most often referred to as doing your “due diligence.”

Each one of these things that you need to accomplish during escrow will have a time frame associated with it in terms of when it must be completed by and if there are to be additional negotiations as a result of these investigations how long these can take.

Contingencies

As the buyer, it is wise to have at least one contingency that will allow you to legitimately cancel the transaction for as long as possible into the escrow period. 

I always put the words “and/or assigns” after my name on the offer.  This gives me the ability to assign the offer to another party prior to closing.  I also include some contingencies such as “subject to my partner’s approval” (could also be “wife’s” or “husband’s” approval, but I consider my wife my partner anyway)  By saying “partner” I am not specifying any one particular person, so if I choose a business partner who rejects the property, I can cancel the deal and have my earnest money refunded.

Lastly

Having good agent representation is important in the buying process, but always remember “no one cares about your money like you do,” so read the documents and think of all the contingencies you want in the offer and make sure you are comfortable with the time lines.  Make sure to get your home inspection, pest inspection and any other inspections that will uncover anything that may negatively impact your home purchase.

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