Bozeman
November 23rd, 2020

Bozeman’s real estate market is a tough market for buyers right now. With so many buyers, properties are getting multiple offers and buyers are having to get creative and take a more aggressive approach in their offers. We’ve put together some options that are helping buyers “seal the deal” on properties.

Pay Cash

Paying cash instead of getting a loan is a good option to help your offer look more appealing. Getting a loan means there is a financing contingency and the possibility that a buyer could lose their financing. Especially now with COVID-19, job security is a little low right now. If you can pay cash and can show proof of funds, this could help you win if you’re competing against other offers for a home.

Remove the Inspection Contingency

We’re by no means recommending not having an inspection or even removing the contingency, but depending on your comfort level, this may be an option to help you get the home. This may be more comfortable on newer homes than older homes. Keep in mind, we’ve seen deals where the inspection contingency was removed only to find mold in the crawl space. As long as you’re comfortable with making any repairs that come up on an inspection, removing the contingency in your offer may help you get it.

Pay Above Asking

With so many competing offers, a lot of homes are selling for well above asking. We’ve seen some homes sell for 10% or more over the list price. To keep your offer in the running, offering above asking price might be necessary.

Write a Letter

Some sellers like to know a little bit about who is buying their home. It holds sentimental value for them and sending a heart felt letter and family photo might help to get your offer chosen.

Waive the Appraisal

If you’re paying cash or are putting enough down for a loan, you could waive the appraisal. With the market pushing up prices so quickly, you might find that the property doesn’t appraise and you’d have to bring the difference in cash to closing. Usually a buyer will have an appraisal contingency, but in order to win in this market, waiving that contingency is an option.

What our clients are saying:

My wife and I used Jody Savage for the sale of our home in Gallatin Gateway, MT. Jody was exceptional in all phases of our sale. We had multiple offers over asking price and sold our home in two days! Jody uses up to date modern marketing, was extremely professional and knowledgeable regarding our market and addressing our needs. She was great to work with and very responsive to any questions we had. Jody is the best in the business and we highly recommend her services!

G.B.

Jody is amazing. She knows the market and was able to advise us on all our many concerns. We so appreciated how responsive she was; within minutes of submitting an online request for realtor contact on a house, she had called us. All our communications with her were like that; we never had to wait long to hear back from her. She was patient and always willing to sit down and meet with us. When we found the house we wanted, she worked tirelessly to secure it for us, and she was extremely patient with us. She was easy to communicate with, understand, and a pleasure to work with – I highly recommend Jody!

J.T.

Jody was awesome to work with. We were new to the area and she was helpful and knowledgeable about not only the housing market, but schools, and lenders. She worked with my work schedule for showings. Jody also stayed late to write an offer to meet our schedule. I would recommend Jody to anyone needing a realtor.

M.L.

Jody is FANTASTIC!! We were first time home buyers and she was with us ever step of the way! She never made us feel silly for being new to the process. She definitely knows the area, always kept us up to date on new listings and was just a delight to work with. I would have absolutely zero hesitation recommending her to anyone. Thanks for all the hard-work Jody! We love our house!

K.G.

Jody Savage is knowledgeable, trustworthy and tireless. I purchased a property this spring (2017) near Bozeman; Jody represented me as well as the seller in the transaction. Jody led me through the entire process because this was the first property I had ever purchased. HOA complications and other details made the purchase more difficult. Jody undertook a boat-load of legwork to make the transaction go smoothly. I hope to work with Jody again.

J.D.