Buying guides / Offers & conditions
Making an offer you can stand behind
Set your limit, understand the conditions and give the asking price the right amount of attention.
Give the asking price some context
The listing price tells you what the seller is asking. It does not establish what you should pay.
Start with completed sales of comparable homes. Kadaster provides recorded purchase prices, but recent transactions may not yet appear. Treat each comparison as evidence to examine, rather than a number to copy. Kadaster purchase-price information
A nearby sale is more useful when you understand the differences. Note the condition and floor area. Check whether ownership terms or substantial work change the comparison. If information is missing, say so before turning it into a confident recommendation.
Set your limit before the deadline
Write down the highest offer you would still be comfortable making if nobody else were bidding. Include the money needed after purchase, not just the amount you can borrow.
Then decide what would change that limit. A repair estimate could lower it. A missing document might mean waiting for an answer. The number of other viewers does not resolve either issue.
Make room for the possibility that another buyer will pay more. Your budget does not become larger because a bidding round feels close.
Read the conditions as carefully as the price
Financing and inspection conditions need specific wording. A financing condition can require evidence that a loan was refused, submitted within an agreed deadline. Missing those requirements may leave you bound to the purchase. An inspection condition also depends on what the parties actually agree. Notarial guidance
Ask your adviser to explain what happens if the valuation is lower than expected or an inspection recommends further investigation. Do that before deciding to remove a condition.
If you are selling, compare the whole offer
Put the offers side by side. Alongside the price, record the requested conditions and proposed transfer date. Ask for unclear terms to be explained before choosing.
The largest figure deserves attention, but it is not the whole decision. Work out how each proposal fits your move, and keep the agreed terms in writing. That gives both sides something more useful than a promising conversation.
General information, reviewed on 1 November 2026. Rules and individual circumstances can differ. Confirm the details of your purchase with your mortgage adviser, agent or notary. Official sources are linked beside the relevant guidance.