Tool
Got an offer on your house? Read it like a professional
An offer is a price plus terms, and deciding how to respond starts with reading both calmly. Pick where you are in the sale, offer in hand, listed and waiting, or not on the market yet, and the evaluator walks the rest in one focused window: what the price actually leaves you after closing costs and your mortgage, what the financing and each condition let the buyer do, and the next step that fits. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
How to evaluate an offer: three things to weigh
Every offer reduces to three questions. What does it leave you: the price minus seller-side closing costs and your remaining mortgage, the number this tool puts first. How certain is it: cash with proof of funds is firmer than a pre-approved mortgage, which is firmer than no pre-approval at all, and every condition in the written offer is an exit the buyer can take. When does it close: a completion date that fits your move is worth real money, and a sale-of-home condition ties your sale to one you cannot control. A strong offer is the best mix of net, certainty, and timing you can verify, not just the highest number.
Accept, counter, or decline: how to respond
You have three answers, and all of them belong in writing. Accepting turns the offer into the contract you live with, so read every term first. Countering does not have to touch the price: a shorter condition deadline, a larger deposit, or a completion date that suits you can be worth more than a small bump in the number. Declining is allowed, politely and in writing. On timing, the written offer usually states its own deadline, and until you accept, the buyer can withdraw at any moment. Acknowledge the same day, then use the time the deadline allows to run the net and read the conditions before you commit to anything.
What this tool does and does not do
The number is plain arithmetic: the offer price, minus seller-side closing costs as a percentage of that price, minus your remaining mortgage. The percentage comes from sourced data for your country where we have it, and a clearly labeled generic estimate where we do not. It excludes agent commission, because you are selling without a listing agent. For a version where every cost line is editable, use the net proceeds calculator.
The reading names what each term permits the buyer to do and what is reasonable to ask for in return. It deliberately does not score the offer, predict how long closing will take, or estimate the chance it closes at all. Those depend on your market, your buyer, and your contract, and a number here would be made up. For the steps between accepting and getting paid, read closing and costs.
Common questions
What is the deposit (earnest money) in an offer?
Money the buyer commits once you accept, held in escrow or by the closing professional depending on your country. It does not change what you net; it is what the buyer stands to lose by walking away without a contractual reason. Around 1 to 3 percent of the price is common in many markets, but local custom varies: in the United States it is called earnest money, in many European markets a 10 percent deposit at the preliminary contract is normal. Confirm what is usual where you sell.
Is a cash offer always the best offer?
No. Cash removes the risk that a lender pulls out and usually drops the valuation condition, but a financed offer at a meaningfully higher price can still net you more. This tool ranks how certain the funding is, not which offer is right. Whatever the financing, ask for evidence: proof of funds for cash, a pre-approval or agreement in principle for a mortgage.
What does a condition (contingency) in an offer actually do?
A condition is a written clause that lets the buyer exit the deal, usually with their deposit back, if the condition is not met. In the United States these are called contingencies; in many other markets they are subject-to clauses, like subject to financing. They are normal and often reasonable. The questions worth asking are about deadlines and scope: how long the buyer has, and exactly what lets them leave.
We have agreed on a price. What happens now?
Get the agreement in writing immediately, with the price, the conditions and their deadlines, the deposit, and the intended completion date. From there the legal steps run through whichever professional your country uses, a notary in much of Europe, an escrow or title company in the United States, a solicitor or conveyancer in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Our closing guide walks the steps; your country guide names the professional and the documents.
Why does this tool not score my offer or predict closing?
Because any score or timeline would be made up. Whether an offer closes, and how fast, depends on your local market, the buyer, their lender, and the contract you sign, none of which this page can know from a handful of inputs. So it sticks to what it can do honestly: the arithmetic of what the price leaves you, and a plain description of what each term lets the buyer do.
What closing costs are subtracted from the offer?
A seller-side percentage of the price, taken from sourced data for your country where we have it, or a generic 1.5 percent estimate where we do not. It covers items like title, settlement, and seller-paid transfer costs, and it excludes agent commission, since you are selling without a listing agent. For a fuller breakdown with every line editable, use the net proceeds calculator.
Should I accept the first offer on my house?
Sometimes the first offer is the strongest one you will see, because buyers who were already searching and ready tend to move first. Judge it like any other: what it nets you against the floor you set before listing, how certain the financing is, and what each condition lets the buyer do. Then weigh it against real interest, viewings booked and questions asked, not against the hope of a better number. Until you accept, the buyer can withdraw, so if the offer clears your floor and the terms are clean, hesitation has a cost too.
How long do I have to respond to an offer on my house?
Read the offer first: most written offers state their own expiry or response window, and that is the only clock that binds you. No law forces a reply, but until you accept, the buyer can withdraw, so silence carries risk. Acknowledge receipt the same day, then answer within the stated window once you have run the net and read each condition. If you need more time, for example to finish booked viewings, ask for it in writing; many buyers will agree to a short extension once they know they have been heard.
Can I back out after accepting an offer?
Usually yes before anything is signed: in most markets an accepted price does not bind you until there is a signed contract, though some jurisdictions treat acceptance more strictly, so confirm locally. Once you sign, you are bound, and the conditions in the contract are mostly the buyer's exits, not yours, so withdrawing can put you in breach and cost you real money. The practical rule is simple: do not say yes, even casually, until you would be content to be held to it, and put every agreement and change in writing.