How do you make an offer on a house?

To make an offer on a house, your real estate agent submits a written purchase offer to the seller that states your price, earnest money deposit, contingencies, and proposed closing date. The seller can accept, reject, or counter. Most offers are made on a state-specific contract form.

Once you've found a home you want to buy, your licensed real estate agent prepares a written purchase offer using a state-approved contract form. The offer isn't just a number — it's a legally binding proposal that the seller can accept, reject, or counter. Getting the terms right matters as much as the price.

What a purchase offer includes

Purchase price — your proposed price for the property.
Earnest money deposit — a good-faith deposit (typically 1%–3% of the purchase price) held in escrow while the transaction is pending. See what is earnest money.
Financing contingency — lets you exit and recover your deposit if your mortgage is denied.
Inspection contingency — gives you a defined window (typically 7–14 days) to have the home inspected and negotiate repairs or back out.
Appraisal contingency — protects you if the home appraises below the purchase price; you can renegotiate or walk away.
Closing date — your proposed date to complete the transaction, typically 30–60 days from acceptance.
Personal property inclusions/exclusions — what stays (appliances, fixtures) and what leaves (chandelier, gym equipment).

Contingencies: your primary protection

Contingencies are conditions that must be met for the sale to proceed. The CFPB's homebuying guide recommends not waiving contingencies without a clear-eyed understanding of what you're giving up. In competitive markets, buyers are sometimes pressured to waive — but a waived inspection contingency means you accept the home as-is regardless of what an inspector finds, and a waived financing contingency means you could lose your earnest money if your loan falls through.

How the negotiation works

If the seller counters, you can accept the counter, reject it, or counter back. Offers and counteroffers are typically time-limited — most have a 24–72 hour acceptance window. During this back-and-forth, the key items that move are price, closing date, which repairs the seller agrees to, and which contingencies remain. Once both parties sign, you have an executed contract and the clock starts on your contingency periods. HUD's buying a home resources outline the rights and timeline once a contract is signed.

Key facts

The CFPB's Owning a Home guide advises buyers to include a financing contingency so they can recover their earnest money deposit if their mortgage application is denied. — CFPB — Owning a Home
An appraisal contingency allows a buyer to renegotiate or cancel the contract if the home's appraised value comes in below the purchase price, protecting the buyer from overpaying. — CFPB — Owning a Home
HUD advises buyers to put all terms in writing and to keep copies of all signed offers, counteroffers, and addenda as part of the transaction record. — HUD

Key takeaways

An offer is a complete written proposal — price, earnest money, contingencies, and closing date.
Keep contingencies in place unless you fully understand the risk of removing them.
The seller can accept, reject, or counter — each response restarts the negotiation clock.
Once both parties sign, you have an executed contract and your contingency periods begin.
Your real estate agent prepares the offer on a state-approved form — don't draft your own.