Making an offer
An offer is a full proposal. Price is one term in it, and the others frequently decide the outcome. In Alberta it is written on the residential purchase contract published by the Alberta Real Estate Association, and every term stays negotiable until both parties sign.
Where the price comes from
We look at what comparable homes sold for, then adjust for the differences a buyer pays for. Size, condition, exposure, parking, the year the furnace was replaced. Then we read the market around the listing. How long it has been available, how much competition it has, whether the price has moved. That evidence is what the number rests on, and you see all of it before you decide.
The deposit
The deposit is the part of an offer that shows you mean it. It is held in the listing brokerage's trust account, and it is credited against the purchase price on possession day. A larger deposit reads as certainty when there is competition.
Conditions
Conditions are the protections you keep while you verify what you are buying. The usual set is financing and a home inspection, plus review of the condominium documents where the property is a condominium. A condition on the sale of your existing home is possible and weakens an offer considerably. Each condition carries a deadline, and when you are satisfied you sign a waiver to remove it. Miss a deadline and the contract can end.
Dates
Possession day is negotiable and it is often the term that closes a gap. A seller with a home already bought wants a date that lines up. A seller with nowhere to go wants time. Asking that question before writing is how a lower offer sometimes wins.
When there is competition
In a multiple offer situation you will not be told what the other offers say. What you control is the strength of your own terms. A financing condition backed by a pre-approval, a short condition period, a deposit that signals commitment, and a possession date built around the seller. We show you the comparable sales and the note on each one. The number is yours, made with the evidence in front of you.
After it is accepted
The condition period starts immediately. We book the inspection and order the condominium documents, and the contract goes to your lender and your lawyer the same day. From there it is verification and waivers, then the lawyer's file. Next · what closing costs cover.