Making an offer in Arizona.
Price is one term.
The rest decide it.
An Arizona offer is the Arizona REALTORS purchase contract with your price and terms filled in, plus a Pre-Qualification Form from your lender. I set the price from adjusted comparable sales, then build the financing, earnest money, appraisal terms, close date and contingencies to be as strong as your situation allows.
Price from adjusted comps.
I price houses, not averages. A price per square foot tells you almost nothing. I adjust each comparable sale for pool, lot, garage, condition and age. I subtract the concessions the seller paid, because a $500,000 sale with a $15,000 credit to the buyer is a $485,000 sale. Then I move each sale to today's market and weigh how long the house has sat. A listing that has been on the market 90 days is a different negotiation than one listed Friday.
Before we write, I call the listing agent: offers so far, the seller's motivation and timing, and flexibility on price and concessions. That call often decides the offer. Then I read how the seller priced the house, because each approach calls for a different offer, and I tell you which one we are looking at.
Priced high
Some sellers price above the comps and leave room to negotiate. The adjusted comps and the days on market set our opening number.
Priced at the comps
The price is supported. Terms carry more weight here, and the gap between offers is usually small.
Priced a little low
Some sellers price under the comps to draw several offers. Expect competition, and decide your ceiling before the deadline, not during it.
Read the market before you write.
The market sets the posture. I track months of supply: how long the current inventory would take to sell at today's pace. In a buyer's market we ask for more. In a seller's market we lead with clean terms. The bands below are the rule of thumb I use, not an official standard.
Writing under asking is a legitimate strategy. Writing under on every house is a signal. If our offers keep missing, either the target is off or the budget does not match the house. I will tell you which one, plainly.
What makes an offer strong besides price.
Sellers compare offers on what they walk away with and how likely each one is to close. I have sat on the seller's side of that table, and I have been the cash buyer. These are the terms a listing agent weighs, so they are the terms I build with you.
- Financing.Cash, conventional, FHA and VA loans carry different appraisal and repair rules. The contract requires an Arizona REALTORS Pre-Qualification Form, completed by your lender, attached to the offer.
- A verified pre-approval.When I represent a seller, I call the buyer's lender before the seller signs. I make sure your lender will take that call and confirm you. See getting pre-approved.
- Earnest money.More money at risk reads as a more committed buyer. The amount is negotiated. See earnest money.
- Appraisal terms.Whether you would cover a gap if the appraisal comes in low. Under the contract, a financed buyer can cancel within five days after notice of a low value. FHA and VA buyers cannot be required to waive the appraisal contingency.
- Close date and possession.A date that fits the seller's move, or room for a rent-back, where the seller stays on and rents from you for a short time after closing, can be worth more than a bigger number.
- Contingencies.A contingency is a condition the sale depends on. An offer that depends on selling your current home, written on the Buyer Contingency Addendum, is weaker. I do not trade away your inspection period. Use every day of it.
Multiple offers, highest and best.
We agree on what a winning offer looks like before we need one: price ceiling, earnest money, close date, concessions, and how hard we will negotiate repairs. When the right house shows up, we move in hours, not days.
If we lose a house you still want, a backup offer keeps you in line if the first contract falls apart.
Highest and best
When several offers come in, the listing agent may ask every buyer for their highest and best offer by a set deadline. Treat it as your last word. There may be no second round.
Multiple counteroffers
A seller can counter more than one buyer at once on the Arizona REALTORS Multiple Counter Offer form. Your signed acceptance does not bind the seller. The deal is made only when the seller signs a final acceptance and it is delivered.
Escalation clauses
An escalation clause, written into an addendum, raises your price by a set amount above a competing offer, up to a cap. It shows the seller your ceiling, and the higher price still has to appraise. If we use one, the terms are exact.
Concessions, counters and price.
A seller concession is money the seller pays toward your closing costs or an interest rate buydown. Under the Arizona REALTORS contract, the seller agrees to a percentage of the price or a dollar amount, to the extent your lender allows, and your loan program caps it. Since the November 2025 revision, concessions may also go toward your agent's compensation, within the lender's limits. See buyer agent compensation.
A concession can cost the seller less than a price cut for the same result to you. A price raised to cover a concession still has to appraise. We ask when the house and the market support it.
Expect counteroffers. A counteroffer rejects the offer before it and proposes new terms, so only the latest signed version is live. Each one has a deadline. Only changes in a writing both sides sign count.
When the seller signs.
The contract is accepted when the signed contract is delivered to the right broker, not when the last person signs. The clock starts the next day. See the purchase contract for how days are counted.
- At acceptance:Earnest money goes to escrow. See title and escrow.
- Within 3 days:You apply for your loan, and the seller delivers the Seller's Property Disclosure Statement (SPDS).
- Within 10 days:The inspection period ends, your BINSR is due if you want repairs or want out, and your lender delivers the Loan Status Update. See the inspection period and BINSR.
- Then:The appraisal, your review of the title commitment (the title company's report of what it will insure), any HOA documents, the final walkthrough, and closing.
Common questions
How do you decide what to offer?
From comparable sales adjusted for pool, lot, garage, condition and age, with seller concessions subtracted and each sale moved to today's market, plus days on market and a call to the listing agent.
Does the highest offer always win?
No. Sellers weigh what they net and how likely each offer is to close: financing, a verified pre-approval, earnest money, appraisal terms, the close date and contingencies.
What does highest and best mean?
The listing agent asks every buyer for their strongest offer by a set deadline. Treat it as your final offer, because there may be no second round.
What is an escalation clause?
Terms in an addendum that raise your price by a set amount above a competing offer, up to a cap. It shows your ceiling, and the higher price still has to appraise.
Should I ask for a concession or a lower price?
It depends on the house and the market. A concession can cost the seller less for the same help to you, but your loan program caps it and the price still has to appraise.
Is my offer binding once I sign it?
Not until the seller accepts and the signed contract is delivered. A counteroffer rejects the earlier offer, and on a multiple counteroffer the seller must sign a final acceptance.
Questions about making an offer?
Found a house? Send me the address. I will run the comps, call the listing agent, and lay out the price and terms I would write. Call or text 480-485-4261. If you already have an agent under contract, ask them first.
This page is general information, not legal or tax advice. Sources: the Arizona REALTORS Residential Resale Real Estate Purchase Contract (revised November 2025) from Arizona REALTORS: the revision notice and the published form; Arizona REALTORS contract series by K. Michelle Lind, Esq.: Part 3(a), The Financing Section, Part 5, Disclosure and Part 7b, Inspection Period and Buyer Disapproval; Arizona REALTORS standard forms list and Business Member Quarterly, Q3 2023 on the Multiple Counter Offer form; Arizona REALTORS, Avoid Counteroffer Confusion. The months of supply bands and the pricing reads are Doug Palmer's own process, from his Buyer Consultation Guide. All checked 28 October 2026.