Seller Offer Comparison

How to use this calculator

Read the full guide: How to compare home sale offers

How it works

Enter up to three purchase offers with price, seller credits, commission, financing type, contingency flags, and close timeline. The tool estimates net proceeds per offer and scores each on a weighted blend: net proceeds (55%), financing strength (20%), close speed (15%), and contingency simplicity (10%). Rankings help you see when a lower price might net more or close more reliably.

Worked example

Example: List $400,000. Offer 1: $410,000 with $12,000 seller credit, conventional 20% down, 21-day close. Offer 2: $405,000, no credit, VA loan, 30 days. Offer 3: $415,000, $5,000 credit, 10% down, home-sale contingency. Offer 3 wins headline price but may score lower on certainty. Offer 1 may rank highest on balanced net and strength after credits and commission.

Price is the headline, net is the number

In the example, Offer 3 at $415,000 is the highest price and Offer 2 at $405,000 is the lowest. After the $5,000 credit on Offer 3 and the $12,000 credit on Offer 1, the ranking by cash in hand looks different from the ranking by price, and commission is calculated on the higher price too, which claws back part of the gain.

This reordering is the normal case, not an edge case. A buyer asking for a large credit is effectively bidding lower while presenting a higher number, and the number is what gets talked about at the kitchen table. Running every offer through net proceeds first is the only way to see what you are actually choosing between.

Build the baseline in the seller net sheet before offers arrive so you can drop each price into a structure you already trust.

Financing strength is really about who survives underwriting

A buyer's financing is a prediction about whether you will still be in contract in six weeks. Cash with verified proof of funds is the strongest because there is no lender to disappoint. A conventional loan with 20 percent down and full underwriting approval is close behind: the larger cushion means a slightly low appraisal does not necessarily break the deal.

Low down payment loans carry more appraisal sensitivity, because there is less equity absorbing a shortfall. FHA and VA financing are perfectly solid and should not be dismissed, but both involve property condition standards that can require repairs before closing, and VA appraisals operate on their own timeline.

The documents matter more than the loan type. A full underwriting approval with verified income and assets is meaningfully stronger than a pre-qualification letter produced from a phone conversation. Ask your agent to find out which one you are holding, and whether the buyer's lender is local and reachable.

Contingencies are the buyer's exit routes

Every contingency is a condition under which the buyer can renegotiate or leave. Inspection and appraisal contingencies are standard and reasonable, and an offer that waives them is not automatically better: a buyer who waives inspection and then discovers a serious problem may simply walk and accept the consequences anyway.

A home-sale contingency is the one to price carefully. It ties your closing to a transaction you cannot see, cannot influence, and cannot verify. Offer 3 in the example carries both the highest price and this contingency, which is exactly why the score drops. If you accept it, a kick-out clause that lets you keep marketing the property is a reasonable protection to ask for.

Shortened contingency periods are often worth more than a waiver. A five-day inspection window instead of fifteen gets you to certainty sooner while still giving the buyer a fair look, and buyers are frequently willing to agree to it.

Timeline and the cost of a deal falling apart

Close speed is worth whatever it is worth to you specifically. If you have already committed to buying your next house, a 21-day close that matches your purchase is genuinely valuable. If you need six more weeks to move, a fast close pushes you into a rent-back or temporary housing, and that cost should come off the offer's score rather than be ignored.

The downside risk deserves explicit weight. A deal that collapses in week four does not just cost four weeks. Your listing returns to the market with visible days-on-market and a price history, and buyers read a relisted home as a home with a problem even when the problem was the other buyer. In a slower market that perception can cost more than the gap between your top two offers.

The weighting here, 55 percent net proceeds, 20 percent financing strength, 15 percent close speed, and 10 percent contingency simplicity, is a reasonable default, not a rule. Use the rank as a prompt for a conversation with your agent rather than as a decision, and read how to compare home sale offers for the full framework.

What this calculator does not include

• Scores are decision support, not legal or brokerage advice.
• Financing strength is based on your inputs, not buyer document review.
• Does not model appraisal gap, repair negotiations, or fall-through probability numerically.
• Commission and tax prorations are simplified.
• Contract law and local custom vary by state.

Frequently asked questions

Can I change the scoring weights?

Weights are fixed in this version to keep comparisons consistent. Focus on net proceeds if price is your only priority.

Should I always pick rank #1?

Use rank as input. Your move timeline, risk tolerance, and relationship with buyers may override a small score gap.

How do I score cash offers?

Enter cash financing type and strong close timeline. Verify proof of funds outside the tool.

What about escalation clauses?

Model the maximum price you might pay if an escalation triggers, not only initial offer price.

Does this replace my agent?

No. Agents handle disclosure, negotiation, and contract terms. This tool keeps comparisons structured.

Educational tool only. Not a Loan Estimate, appraisal, tax advice, or legal opinion. Numbers are illustrative unless you enter your own verified inputs.