You've written the perfect offer on your dream property. You've even found a great agent. Now all you have to do is wait. There's only one problem: what if your offer is rejected? It's not uncommon for a seller to simply reject an offer outright without making a counteroffer that tells you exactly what they do want. Something has most likely gone wrong if you don't get one, or maybe they simply selected a different offer. Given our market lately, it's more than likely that many homes will receive multiple offers.

The first thing to remember is that the seller may not be able to tell you why they rejected your offer. They may not even know themselves. This can be frustrating, there are many reasons why a seller could reject your offer, and knowing what these reasons are will help you to avoid them in the future.

If you've been trying to buy a home in Des Moines but can't seem to get your offer accepted, there could be several reasons why. Here are five common reasons why a seller might reject your offer:

1. Your price is too low

The seller may have also rejected your offer because they feel that it does not reflect the value of the property. The seller may have asked you to raise your offer by a small amount in order to help cover closing costs and other fees associated with selling their Des Moines home.

In order to win over the seller, it may be necessary to raise your offer by a small amount so that it reflects the current market value of their home. This will allow you to gain their trust and help them to believe that you are serious about acquiring their property.

2. Your price was too high. 

This is the flip side, offering too much for a home—unless, of course, you're offering cash, and you don't mind parting with it. Most seller's agents will try to dissuade their clients from jumping at such an offer if it's not likely that the property will appraise for that much. The deal will only fall apart when the lender realizes that the loan terms exceed the property's actual value.

Your offer may be too high regardless of the seller’s asking price. This can be a tricky situation. But if the seller seems curious about your offer, it may be worth talking them through it. You don’t want to waste your time making offers on Des Moines homes that aren’t a good fit for you. And if you do fall in love and decide you will pay whatever it takes, one common addition is an appraisal gap waiver - stating you'll make up the difference if it doesn't appraise. However, beware if you do this, you could end up bringing your downpayment plus another good chunk of money to the table at closing. The listing agent will likely want to verify you have the ability to do this before accepting your offer as well.

3. They've Received Multiple Offers on Their Property

If the seller has received multiple offers on the property, they have a lot to think about. This is because they want to get the best price possible, which often requires them to hold out for a higher offer. You should be able to find out if the seller has received multiple offers by having your agent reach out to their agent. Generally, most agents will share this information with all agents that have shown the property if they end up receiving multiple offers, that's because they want to accrue more offers and get the best possible deal for their client.

If the seller has received multiple offers on the property, the best way to make sure your offer stands out is to make sure your offer is as competitive as possible. This means making sure your offer is strong - sometimes even over the listed price - without being too close for comfort. This not only shows the seller that you're a serious contender, but it also gives you the best chance of landing the deal. In addition to just price, there are other incentives we can add to make your offer stronger - such as more earnest money, shorter inspection or no inspection (we always recommend having some sort of inspection unless you feel completely comfortable buying the home as is, where is), meeting the sellers where they need to be on closing, rent back or delayed possession, and many others.

4. You Didn't Meet the Seller's Needs

Your agent should connect with the listing agent to search out out whether the seller has any specific requirements or hot buttons. Sometimes, listing agents include helpful hints within the agent remarks portion of the MLS.

In either case, write these concerns into your offer - such as your ability to provide an extended closing or a quicker closing, or your interest in buying without an inspection, or any other items that could stand out that may help you. It's not a bad idea to have your agent check with the listing agent to see if they can get any information on what's most important to the seller BEFORE you submit your offer.

5. Personal Reasons

The problem might need nothing in any respect to do along with your offer—it could also be another personal reason. Perhaps they knew one of the buyers making an offer. While that may not have been the best offer, sometimes that feels the 'best' to them. It also reflects poorly on you if your buyer's agent annoys the seller's agent—especially in a multiple-offer situation - or doesn't provide all the necessary documents needed to appropriately review the offer. There's nothing preventing a list agent from taking two identical offers to a seller and saying, 'Here's been my experience with Agent A and also Agent B.' While there are a lot more factors involved than just the agent who's representing the other party, sometimes two identical offers are so close that it really does come down to the experience the listing agent has had with your agent or with the lender who is working with you.

Conclusion

You can feel pretty upset when you get a rejection, as it's often quite unexpected. You've gone through all this preparation and gotten everything ready for an offer that shouldn't be immediately rejected. Realize, though, that there are almost always guidelines for what exactly makes up an acceptable offer. Remember, it's always better to ask why your offer was rejected than it is to assume the worst. Doing so will save you plenty of time and frustration.

Hopefully, this article has helped you to understand why a seller might reject an offer on a property, and how to avoid those reasons in the future. If you follow these guidelines during your next real estate hunt for a home, you should find that your offer will be more likely to pass acceptance. And if it does not, don't be afraid to ask your agent to request feedback from the seller's agent if they aren't already. After all your agent is there to help bring about a successful purchase for you.

At the dsmSOLD Team, we are focused on your needs when helping you find the perfect property in the Des Moines Metro. We will do whatever it takes to help you avoid these common pitfalls to ensure we can put our best foot forward and hopefully get your offer accepted when we are competing. After all, we are focused on YOUR success and we will do whatever it takes to ensure you get into that perfect home. We're here to deliver a 5 star, red carpet experience for you. So if you have questions or are looking for an agent that can help you navigate these challenges, please give us a call today!