Which offer leaves you ahead after the details?

The highest price at the top of an offer is only one part of the decision. Credits, different seller costs and time to close can change the dollars left over.

This is a money comparison. It does not evaluate the buyer, assign a closing probability or interpret contract terms. Review the written offers and your priorities alongside the calculation.

The questions this tool answers

• Which offer has the larger net under these assumptions?
• What difference does the closing timeline make?
• Which nonfinancial terms could change my preference?

How to use it well

1. Enter both prices and each offer's credits or differing costs.
2. Enter all shared selling expenses, including the agreed listing fee, plus the common payoff. Avoid counting an expense in both the shared total and an offer allowance.
3. Add the closing timelines and monthly ownership cost. Separately review financing, appraisal, contingencies, deposits, possession and ability to perform.

A worked example

Change one input: the lower offer takes longer

Load the example and change only Offer B's closing time from 21 days to 75 days. Keep its $945,000 price and $5,000 allowance unchanged. At $6,200 per month, using a 30-day month, its time cost rises to $15,500. Its calculated net becomes $392,500.

Offer A remains at $393,700, so A is now ahead by $1,200. The original $9,960 advantage for B has disappeared because of the longer assumed timeline. This is a sensitivity check, not a prediction that either buyer will be delayed.

How to read the result

A higher calculated net does not automatically make an offer the best choice. Timing, execution and acceptable terms can matter more. Example expenses are placeholders, not service quotes. Use the actual agreed costs for your transaction.

Keep the arithmetic comparison next to a short written-terms comparison. Record the proposed closing and possession dates, requested credits, financing and appraisal provisions, inspection terms and any dependencies on another transaction. Do not convert those details into invented probabilities of closing.

Use the same starting point for both timelines. If one number means days from today and the other means days from acceptance, the cost difference is misleading. Resolve that ambiguity before choosing which offer seems financially stronger.

Connor's seller-only review is about your priorities as well as the price. A household that needs a specific handover date may weigh the offers differently from one that can move whenever the transaction closes. Write that priority down before letting the largest displayed net drive the decision.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Putting the payoff in shared selling expenses. The calculator has a separate payoff field. Shared expenses should contain applicable selling costs; entering the payoff in both places deducts the debt twice.
• Assuming costs are shared when the offers allocate them differently. Seller-paid buyer-broker compensation or another charge may differ. Enter a differing obligation in the relevant offer allowance and keep it out of the shared total.
• Calling the higher net the safer offer. This tool does not verify funds, financing or performance. Use the written terms and relevant evidence for that separate discussion, without inventing a risk score.

What to gather before a seller review

• Both written offers and any counteroffers, using the current versions.
• An itemized list of credits and seller-paid costs for each offer.
• Your common payoff and the expenses that truly remain the same.
• Closing and possession dates measured from a consistent starting point.
• Your must-have terms and the questions that still need written clarification.

Common questions

Useful references

• NAR: seller concessions: Separate buyer concessions from offers of buyer-broker compensation.