How to Get Your Contingent Offer Accepted (When You Need to Sell First)
The market has shifted. Today most sellers will accept a well-structured contingent offer – but only when it’s presented correctly. The difference between acceptance and rejection comes down to having a detailed plan that shows you’re serious and can close on time.
We help you create a step-by-step plan that addresses every part of the process:
Equity Assessment – We’ll determine what your home is worth and calculate how much you’ll net after the sale. This tells us your budget for your next home and helps set realistic expectations.
Strategic Pricing – Price your current home to sell within your timeline while getting you the money you need for your next purchase. No guessing – just honest market analysis.
Pre-Listing Inspection & Repairs – Identify any issues that could derail your sale before you list. We’ll help you decide what to fix, what to price in, and what buyers won’t care about.
Marketing Your Home – Professional photos, targeted online marketing, and everything needed to attract serious buyers quickly. No fluff – just proven methods that work.
Transaction Coordination – We manage both your sale and purchase so nothing falls through the cracks. You focus on packing and preparing for your move while we handle the details.
Things to Consider When Making a Contingent Offer
A few years ago, most sellers wouldn’t even consider a contingent offer. Today that’s changed – but only if your offer is structured correctly and shows you have a solid plan to close on time.
The sections below cover the key areas we’ll walk through together during your consultation. Each piece builds on the others to create a complete strategy for your situation.
Equity Assessment
During our pre-listing consultation, we’ll determine what your home is worth in today’s market and calculate how much you’ll actually net after closing costs and fees. This tells you exactly how much equity you’ll have for your next purchase. Combined with your loan pre-approval, we can set a realistic budget range. It’s always smart to be conservative with these numbers.
Pricing Strategies
Pricing your home correctly is crucial – both for getting your contingent offer accepted and selling within the deadline. This doesn’t mean underpricing, but it does mean being realistic about current market conditions and ensuring the sale price gives you enough cash for your next purchase.
Home Inspection
Getting a pre-listing home inspection is always a good idea, but when making a contingent offer, it’s an absolute must. You need to know, before going on market, if there are major issues with your home that will need to be repaired before closing. This enables us to price your home correctly and prevents a sale fail due to unexpected repair issues that cause a buyer to get cold feet and terminate the contract.
Repairs
During our consultation, we’ll review your inspection results and decide which repairs to make and which to factor into pricing. The five issues that scare buyers most are water in crawl spaces, mold, foundation problems, roof issues, and sewer lines. If any of these come up, we’ll discuss whether to fix them before listing or adjust our pricing strategy accordingly.”
Digital Marketing
During our consultation, we’ll outline the marketing strategy to get your home sold within the contingency period. Since most buyers start their search online, we’ll arrange professional photography and targeted digital marketing to reach serious buyers quickly. The goal is attracting the right buyers in the right timeframe for your situation.
Your Next Home
During our consultation, we’ll start identifying what you’re looking for in your next home – location, style, price range, and must-have features. Based on your equity assessment and loan pre-approval, we’ll set up a custom search for properties that fit your parameters. As we view homes together, we’ll refine your wishlist until we find the right match. Once you’re ready to make an offer, we’ll handle all the negotiations and paperwork to get you under contract.
Meet
James Bradley
Making a contingent offer can feel overwhelming – you’re trying to coordinate two major transactions while competing with non-contingent buyers. I understand how stressful this process can be.
That’s why I approach contingent offers differently. We create a detailed plan that addresses every piece of the puzzle – from pricing your current home to structuring an offer that sellers will actually accept. You get one-on-one guidance through both transactions, so you can focus on preparing for your move instead of worrying about whether everything will come together.
Watch the video to learn more.
Why People Work With Us
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We Understand the Complexity
Most contingent offers get rejected not because of offer price, but because sellers worry the buyer can’t actually close. We understand what makes sellers nervous about contingent offers and how to address those concerns upfront. When your offer shows you have your home priced to sell quickly, professional marketing in place, and experienced representation, it demonstrates that you have done your homework and are motivated to close.
Proven Planning Process
We don’t just hope everything works out. We create a detailed timeline that accounts for both sides of your transaction – from pricing your current home to structuring your offer to managing both closings. Every piece is planned in advance.
One-on-One Guidance Throughout
You’re not trying to coordinate everything yourself or wondering what’s happening next. We manage both transactions so nothing falls through the cracks, and you always know exactly where things stand.
How to Get Started
Schedule a Consultation
During our consultation, we’ll discuss your current situation and what’s driving your move. We’ll review your home’s likely market value, your timeline concerns, and what you’re looking for in your next home. This enables us to see if your proceeds after the sale enable you to make the next move, and gives you a chance to see if my planning approach feels right for you.
Build Your Custom Strategy
Execute Your Plan
During the implementation phase, we’ll guide you through listing your home with professional photos, videos, and targeted social media marketing, while simultaneously submitting and negotiating your contingent offer. We manage both transactions and all the coordination details, so you can focus on preparing for your move knowing that every piece is being handled
What Our Customers Say
Hear from our satisfied customers who have experienced the quality of our service.
In my case, I was moving to the Portland area from Seattle. Jim was very knowledgeable about the various neighborhoods and savvy about what to look for with the various listings. In addition, given the market and my price point, this effort took a while. Jim was patient, encouraging, accommodating and steadfast. I couldn’t have done it without him. I recommend him wholeheartedly.
Brigitta Remole
Jim helped my husband and I purchase our new home and sell our old home, both in Vancouver. We appreciated Jim’s calm demeanor and pragmatic guidance throughout both transactions. He patiently answered our questions and kept us well informed at every stage. Jim exemplifies integrity and professionalism at its best. We will continue to highly recommend him.
Thanks, Jim!
Ellen Jones
Jim is the best broker I’ve met in my life. He is very knowledgeable in his craft and he cares to create relationships. Unlike most brokers, he doesn’t just try to get you to buy as fast as possible, he cares to find the best house you could have. He listened to the details that mattered to me (and boy was the list long), he nervously said let’s find you the perfect house, and he did! He grasped my style/taste right away, which I think is very important to keep efficient and not waste time in the search. He’s honest, friendly, funny, and a delight to work with. Couldn’t recommend him enough.
Naira Avy
FAQ
Will Sellers Actually Accept Contingent Offers?
Yes, but only when your offer demonstrates you’re serious and capable of closing on time. Today’s market is different from a few years ago when contingent offers were automatically rejected.
Sellers and their agents evaluate contingent offers based on how well-prepared you are. They want to see realistic pricing on your current home, professional marketing in place, and experienced representation managing both transactions.
During our consultation, we’ll discuss how to structure your contingent offer to address seller concerns upfront. This includes choosing the right contingency terms, providing evidence of your home’s marketability, and showing you have the financial capacity to close on their property.
What’s My Home Worth for a Contingent Sale?
When making a contingent offer, your home’s market value is just the starting point. What matters more is pricing it to sell quickly without giving away the farm.
We conduct a comprehensive market analysis looking at recent sales, current competition, and buyer demand in your area. But for contingent offers, we also analyze how long similar homes are taking to sell and what price points are moving fastest in your neighborhood.
During our consultation, we’ll review realistic pricing strategies that attract serious buyers while still giving you the equity you need for your next purchase. The goal isn’t just determining market value – it’s finding the sweet spot that gets your home sold on time without leaving money on the table.
Should I Invest in Upgrading My House Before Making a Contingent Offer?
When you’re planning a contingent offer, upgrades need to serve a specific purpose: helping your home sell quickly and making your offer more attractive to sellers.
We recommend avoiding major investments and focusing on updates that directly impact buyer perception and sale speed. This usually means addressing obvious maintenance issues, improving curb appeal, and making spaces feel clean and move-in ready.
During our pre-listing consultation, we’ll walk through your home and identify which improvements actually help contingent offers get accepted. Some fixes prevent deals from falling apart during inspection, while others help your home stand out in online searches where most buyers start.
The key is investing your time and money in changes that support your contingency timeline, not upgrades that might pay off someday.
How Long Do I Have to Sell My Home?
Contingency periods typically range from 30 to 60 days, but the exact timeframe depends on your local market and what the seller will accept. In faster-moving markets, sellers may only give you 30 days, while in slower markets you might negotiate 45-60 days.
The key isn’t getting the longest possible contingency period – it’s getting a realistic timeframe that matches how quickly your home can actually sell. During our consultation, we’ll analyze recent sales in your area to determine what timeline makes sense for your situation and what sellers are likely to accept.
We also discuss what happens if your home goes under contract but doesn’t close within the contingency period. Having a clear plan for extensions or alternative scenarios keeps you from losing the home you want to buy.
How do I Sell and Buy a Home at the Same Time?
To get started schedule a consultation. The is a no-pressure conversation where we answer your questions, view your home, explain the selling and buying process, and review the laws of agency, broker compensation, purchase and sale agreements, seller disclosures, home inspections, repairs, homeowner associations (HOAs), closing costs, appraisals, the market, and more.
