After the listing appointment, nearly all of our communication will be by telephone or email. In keeping with this, I will immediately notify you when an offer is presented for us to review and discuss.

I will present you with a summary of the contract terms formatted in four parts: the basic price and financing, the contract conditions and deadlines, and included and excluded items per the buyer's offer.

Obviously, decisions about all aspects of the contract are yours to make. If I have advice or recommendations for you to consider, I will mention them to you.

Generally, the first offer that comes to us is the best one; it will probably need to be amended in one way or another, but it should not be lightly dismissed as the first of a number of anticipated offers. Especially if an offer comes within the first few weeks, the first offer probably comes from a buyer "looking over his shoulder", concerned about other buyers submitting offers that compete with his. As a result, he is making a strong offer. The additional carrying costs and inconvenience of maintaining your home in top showing condition also dictate seriously considering the first offer instead of waiting for others.