Fortes Seller’s Minute: Bigger Offer vs. Better Deal

Words I Like — Certainty is a price.

Fortes Seller’s Minute: Bigger Offer vs. Better Deal

Sellers tell me two things a lot: “We got a big cash/developer offer… should we take it?”
And: “What if rates drop later and we regret selling?”

Here’s the Fortes System play: score the offer for certainty and control and not just price.

Do this week:

• Who is the real buyer? If it can be assigned or swapped, your “buyer” might change.

• When does the money get real? Earnest money amount + when it becomes non-refundable.

• What are their exits? Inspection/feasibility/appraisal terms that let them walk.

• Do they control the timeline? Extension rights = leverage loss.

• What’s your Plan B? Keep a tight launch-ready backup so you’re never trapped.

Quick math (example): A $25k higher offer isn’t better if it can stall 30 days, then retrade… while you pay carrying costs and lose momentum. It’s a dirty trick from buyers called the “stall offer.”

Home-Selling Tip: Ask one question: “What would have to go wrong for this deal to fall apart?” Then remove those paths. As promised, value in under a minute.

CTA: Reply “BUYOUT” with the offer price + timelines + contingencies, and I’ll tell you the 3 leverage flags I’d address first.

PS - If you find value in this and you feel compelled, please share this newsletter if you know of anyone thinking of selling that this could help.