Bidding war: what would you do?

Six real bidding-war situations. Pick the smartest move in each and see how you’d do.

6 questions · about 2 minutes · no signup needed

Question 1 of 6The listing says “offers due Monday at 5 PM”. You love the home. What’s smartest?

Wait until after the deadline to see what happensSend your strongest offer before the deadline, based on recent salesOffer far below list to leave room to negotiateSend the offer without a pre-approval letter to save time

Question 2 of 6You expect several offers, but don’t want to overpay. What helps most?

An escalation clause with a firm maximumOffering your maximum and hopingWriting a long letter about yourselfWaiving the appraisal with no cash to cover a gap

Question 3 of 6You’re offering $30,000 over list. What should you plan for?

Nothing: the appraisal will matchAn appraisal gap: cash to cover part of the difference if it appraises lowA higher interest rateA larger earnest deposit refund

Question 4 of 6Everyone is waiving inspections. What’s a safer way to compete?

Waive it tooKeep an “information only” inspection with a short deadlineSkip the inspection and buy a home warranty insteadInspect after closing

Question 5 of 6The seller’s agent mentions they need two months to move. What do you do?

Ignore itOffer a free rent-back so they can stay after closingAsk for a lower price because of itInsist on closing in two weeks

Question 6 of 6You lost the house. What’s a good next step?

Stop looking for a yearAsk to be the backup offerOffer the full amount again next time without limitsSwitch lenders

Your answers aren’t saved or sent anywhere except to calculate your score. For education only; it isn’t a credit check or a loan approval.

How it works

Pick an answer and you’ll see right away whether you got it, with a short explanation and a link to learn more. At the end you’ll get your score and can share it.