How to Stand Out as Buyer

The real estate market in this country has been going gangbusters for the past three+ years, heavily favoring the seller. Not only does inventory not match the number of buyers, but the average Joe buyer is competing against investors and people with either large piles or cash or the willingness to waive inspections and appraisals. So, what can you do to stand out if you’re a normal buyer? Here’s a few wild ideas!

Free Pies 

An Oregon couple accepted an offer on their home that included one unique aspect. The home itself received multiple offers within days and the ultimate buyer even offered $26,000 over asking. But she felt that wasn’t enough to stand out… so the buyer, a pizzeria owner, got creative. She offered $26k over asking AND one free pizza month. For life. This intrigued the sellers and it occurred to them that it’s actually a pretty solid offer. After all, one $20 pizza a month for the next 40 years adds up to $10,000. 

Risky Business

This next story definitely represents taking a risk. A buyer in Playa del Rey’s crazy hot market was interested in a property that had a detached garage turned rental unit. The problem was that the rental unit wasn’t up to code, which had most buyers running for the hills. This potential buyer had a background in home improvement and construction so he offered to bring the unit back up to an in-code garage before ever going under contract on the house. Seeing as the sellers had little to lose and a lot to gain, they gave him the green light. Ten days later they had an up-to-code garage and told the potential buyer that the property was his. It was a risk to do work on a property you didn’t own yet but the risk paid off. He bought the property for $592,000 and then in 2014 sold it for almost a million dollars. 

Add a Perk

Another wild strategy is to use your other assets to your advantage. Got a lot of airline miles stacking up? A recent home sale in Denver included airline tickets to Paris using the buyer’s accumulated airline miles. Another threw in tickets to a Denver Broncos football game. While all of this sounds a little strange, this outside-the-box thinking made these buyers stand out and ultimately landed them their dream homes. 

Sound off in the comments… what wild strategy might you take when making an offer on a home?