Got Multiple Offers on Your Florida Home? How to Pick the Best One (Hint: It's Not Always the Highest)

Getting more than one offer feels amazing. And it should! But it’s also the easiest moment to make an expensive mistake, because the biggest number on the page isn’t always the best deal. Here’s how I walk my own clients through it.

Start with what you’ll actually walk away with

The price is what the buyer offers. What matters is what you keep. Two offers with the same price can leave you with very different amounts once you take out:

• Closing costs or concessions the buyer asked you to pay
• Any request that you cover the buyer’s agent (it arrives with the offer package; your options)
• Repair credits or a repair budget written into the offer
• A home warranty or anything else the buyer requested

I run every offer through the same net sheet before we compare anything else. It clears things up fast.

Look at how the buyer is paying

How a buyer pays affects whether the deal closes, and how quickly.

I also look at the pre-approval itself. A letter from a lender who has actually checked income, savings and credit beats a quick pre-qualification every time.

Ask: who covers it if the appraisal comes in low?

If the lender’s appraisal comes in below the price, somebody has to deal with the difference. Some buyers promise up front to cover part or all of that gap in cash. Others keep the right to renegotiate or walk away.

An offer that covers the gap is often worth more than a slightly higher one that doesn’t, especially when lots of offers push your price above recent sales (what happens with a low appraisal).

Count the ways the buyer can back out

Every contingency is basically an exit door for the buyer. Compare:

• Inspection period: how many days, and whether they can cancel for any reason during it
• Financing: how long they have to get final loan approval
• Appraisal: whether they can cancel if the appraisal is low
• Selling another home first: whether their purchase depends on it

Fewer exit doors, and shorter ones, means less risk for you. I’ll explain how each one works in the exact contract you’re signing.

Think about timing and what you need

The right closing date can be worth real money. Need time to move? A later closing or a leaseback (you stay a few extra days after closing) might win. Paying two mortgages? A fast close matters more.

Also look at the earnest money deposit. A bigger deposit shows the buyer is serious, and depending on the contract, they could lose it if they back out without a valid reason.

Let’s put it together

Here’s a made-up example:

Offer A looks bigger. But after you pay $8,000 toward the buyer’s costs, you’d net $417,000, which is about $1,000 less than Offer B. On top of that, Offer B covers a low appraisal, has a shorter inspection period, and closes two weeks sooner. Offer B is the stronger offer, even with a lower price.

My advice

Rank your offers by what you’ll net, then by how likely they are to close, then by how well they fit your timeline. And write down what matters most to you before the offers come in, so the excitement of a big number doesn’t make the decision for you.

If you’ve got offers on the table right now and want a second opinion, send them my way. I’m happy to help you think it through.