You've finally found the home of your dreams and you are ready to make offer. At this point, you and your agent will discuss the details of the offer that you will make. Make sure that you are serious about buying before you commit to making an offer.

I've noticed that new buyers get frustrated with the negotiation process because they are not sure about how the process works. Once your offer is sent to the seller, the seller usually has 3 choices. The seller can accept your offer as it written, reject your offer or decide to make a counter-offer. The counter- offer process is where most buyers and sellers loose patience. The counter-offer process can be time consuming. You may go back and forth with several counter-offers before a decision is made. Try not to get frustrated because this is quite common. And please don't take it personal.

If you are searching for a home in a hot market, be aware that you may have to make an offer above asking price in order to purchase the home. Also, in a hot market you may run into situations where there is more than one buyer making an offer on the same home. In this instance, you may have to make an offer above asking price in order to win the bid.

Be aware that when you make an offer, it is always a good idea to make an earnest money deposit. Earnest money is a show of good faith to the seller that you are serious and that you intend to purchase the home. Buyers should discuss with their real estate agent, how much earnest money should be deposited.

Finally, once you and the seller agree on terms, you will have a binding agreement date. This means that your offer has become a contract and you are legally obligated to purchase the home. The binding agreement date is when the clock starts ticking for any deadlines addressed in the contract. Make sure that you keep up with these deadlines because time is of the essence. And if you miss a deadline, it could mean defaulting on the contract and the loss of earnest money.

Making an offer can be an exciting time, if you keep in mind that there is some give and take in the negotiation process.

1) Be flexible: Never say take it or leave it.
2) Don't allow your emotions to get in the way of you negotiating the best deal. Try to keep pride, anger, fear and emotions in check.
3)Get pre-approved so that your bargaining position is stronger.
4)Don't insult the seller or the sellers agent. Once you've insulted the seller or their agent, it is a great way to get any future offers rejected. Once the relationship is damaged, it is going to be an uphill battle during the negotiation process.

If you are planning a house hunting trip to Chattanooga, be sure to check out a few of our fantastic restaurants. Recently, I ate lunch at Soups On. It is located on Broad Street at the foot of Lookout Mountain. Before I met my friends at the restaurant, I visited their website to look at the menu. To my surprise, each day, they offer different soups! I love variety. The soups on this day were chicken fajita, vegetable and cheesy potato. While I was online, I found a coupon for a combo meal, so I decided to have the combo meal. The combo meal included a 1/2 sandwich, soup, side and drink. I ordered a half reuben sandwich and for my side I chose the potato logs. I love potatos as much as that character in Forest Gump loved shrimp! The best part is that Soups On doesn't fry the potato logs or potato tots, they bake them. As you enter, you stand in line, order your food, pay and then you seat yourself. It was crowded but we found a table for 3 near the exit. Later, I checked out the soups, they all looked appetizing but the one that caught my eye was the chicken fajita soup. It was delicious or as they say in Mexico...delicioso! La sopa es deliciosa! It was full of chicken, rice, corn and many other suprises for my taste buds. After you get your soup, you have 2 bread choices: rolls or cornbread.

When my 1/2 reuben sandwich arrived, it did not disappoint. The bread was toasted just right, the meat was plentiful and the sandwich was tasty. If you love soup and sandwiches at reasonable prices, this is the place for you. It is a cheerful atmosphere, close to downtown and the staff is super friendly and patient with first time customers.

Are you thinking of buying a home in Chattanooga? Buyers love to relocate to Chattanooga, Tennessee! Chattanooga is located on the Tennessee River. Because of the TVA water management system that makes water readily available to residences as well as businesses, Chattanooga has avoided being a part of the drought that has affected so many places in the South.

For those who want to get away from the snow, this is the perfect city! Chattanooga rarely gets snow. Our average annual snow fall is about 4.8 inches. The weather in general is pretty great! The average January temperature is 40 degrees and the average Annual Temperature is 60.3 degrees.

For those who love to fly, this is the place to live! There are so many options as far as airports. We fly out of the Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport (Chattanooga, TN), Birmingham International Airport (Birmingham, AL), Nashville International Airport (Nashville, TN), as well as Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport (Atlanta, GA). It is great because we have so many more options when looking at ticket prices. Each of those airports is a reasonable distance from Chattanooga!

Our city is intersected by four major highways (I-75, I-24, I-59 and Hwy 27), so it makes traveling to many cities by car very easy. If you desire to stay closer to home for vacations,there are a variety of options for nearby vacations.

On July 15, 2008, VW announced that it will build a plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The plant will begin producing vehicles in 2011. This Chattanooga VW plant will have a huge economic impact on not only Chattanooga but the surrounding region as well.

If you are interested in moving to the south, Chattanooga is an amazing place to consider.

Recently I heard that "Real estate agents just put a sign in the yard and that's it.". Surprisingly, this is not the first time that I've heard this. Seller's can benefit from the services of a real estate agent in the following ways:

1.) Your agent can provide recommendations on how to make your home marketable. This advice can be as simple as staging a room so that it shows better. It can also be advice on how to clear out clutter, make minor repairs as well as other ways to make your home more inviting for buyers.

2.)Helping you to determine the right price by preparing a market analysis of comparable homes sold over the last 6 months. This will help you to price your home competitively so that you can successfully compete in the current market.

3.)Networking with other real estate professionals who may have buyers that are looking for a property like yours.

4) Access to the Multiple Listing Service as well as access to a multitude of websites and magazines that the general public doesn't have the ability to advertise in if selling as a for sale by owner. Some agents knock on doors to look for buyers for their listings. Others are really good at networking with other agents as they search for buyers. In addition, there are open houses, visual tours, postcards and other avenues to marketing property.

5)The ability to pre-qualify buyers through a series of questions so that you don't end up with an unmotivated, unqualified buyer.

6)The ability to negotiate on your behalf.

7)Coordinate all of the closing or settlement details. Agents have the skills to coordinate with lenders, title companies, appraisers, and home inspectors so that you will have a successful and timely closing.

This list is by no means a comprehensive list of what real estate agents do. It just outlines a few of the benefits of hiring a real estate agent to market and sell your home.