Complete a mortgage application and get set up with an agent right away, the faster you can start receiving valuable advice from these practitioners, the more informed you’ll be, even if you are six-plus months out from an actual purchase.

Ron Leffler

When there are multiple offers to choose from, sometimes the financial difference between the leading offers is minimal. Look for creative ways to lower the seller’s risk to make your offer more attractive, reducing the number of contingencies you have is the first step, we saw many buyers drop most or all of them in 2021. Consider a very high or non-refundable earnest money deposit, which sends a serious message, [though you should] make sure you’re willing to go that far.

While the majority of us have to get a mortgage, explore ways to write a cash offer or offer more cash down. There are many avenues, retirement accounts, parents, investments that could provide the liquidity to make a cash offer even if it is not your first preference, offering the ability to purchase in cash even if obtaining a mortgage is what the offer says might be an attractive quality in your package.