Okay, I can't believe I am writing something so basic, but apparently there are some people out there practicing real estate, representing buyers out there in the world, who are presenting contracts without a lender letter. This is Buyer Representation 101. You get your buyer pre-approved with a local, reputable lender, before you start showing them property, and if somehow you forgot to do that or it slipped through the cracks etc, you most certainly do not make any offers before you have that approval.
You have to think of the other side of the transaction's perspective if you want the seller to take your offer. That seller is going to want to know more about the buyer. That listing agent is going to call that lender and make sure it's not just an empty piece of paper. The listing agent should ask the lender: What kind of credit do they have, are there any red flags, are the debt to income ratios conserative, did you verify income and funds? In a nutshell, what proof do you have that this loan will close?
And to use one of the greatest lines from a nineties classic movie and one of my favorites - Jerry Maguire...
"Show me the money!"
If you really want a seller to believe you, get a local, reputable lender to vouch for you.
Believe it or not, some people do not make what they think they do, have bad credit and are unaware of it, have not been given an estimate of closing costs (2-3% on top of your down payment) and don't know anything about buying a home.
And if your Realtor does not make you go through this process and explain this to you before seriously looking and actually going as far as to write an offer, something is amiss and you are not getting proper buyer representation~
A seller should never accept an offer without some sort of 3rd party backing that these buyers can fulfill the terms of the contract.
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