> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.fortifylistings.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Receiving and Responding to Offers on Your Home Sale
> Understand how offers arrive, what to evaluate beyond price, and how to accept, reject, counter, or navigate multiple offers on your Florida home.
Receiving an offer is one of the most important moments in your sale — and how you respond to it can significantly affect your final outcome. Offers arrive electronically so you always have everything in writing. What happens next depends on the plan you chose: Essentials and Pro sellers review and respond independently, while Elite sellers have a broker available to walk through the terms, flag anything unusual, and help formulate a response strategy. Regardless of plan, every decision is yours to make.
## How offers arrive
Offers are delivered to you **electronically via email and through your seller dashboard**. The package typically includes:
* The **purchase and sale agreement** — Florida's standard FAR/BAR contract or the buyer's equivalent
* Any **addenda** — inspection contingency riders, financing contingencies, "as-is" addenda, and similar attachments
* **Proof of financing** — a mortgage pre-approval letter, proof-of-funds statement, or both
Review every document before responding. If anything is unclear, you can ask the buyer's agent for clarification, or — on Elite — contact your broker directly.
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## What to evaluate in an offer
Price is the headline number, but it rarely tells the full story. A high-priced offer with weak financing or aggressive contingencies may ultimately net you less than a slightly lower offer that closes cleanly. Evaluate every offer across all of these dimensions:
| Factor | What to look for |
| --------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| **Offer price** | How it compares to your asking price, recent comps, and your bottom line |
| **Financing type** | Cash offers are fastest and carry no appraisal risk; conventional loans are standard; FHA and VA loans have additional appraisal requirements |
| **Proof of funds / pre-approval** | Is the pre-approval from a reputable lender? Is it a full underwriting approval or a basic pre-qual? Cash buyers should provide a current bank statement or asset letter |
| **Contingencies** | Inspection, financing, and appraisal contingencies all give the buyer an exit right — review the timeframes carefully |
| **Closing timeline** | Does it align with your move-out plans? A 21-day cash close and a 45-day financed close have very different implications |
| **Earnest money deposit** | Higher earnest money signals buyer seriousness and provides more protection if they walk away without cause |
| **Special terms** | Seller concessions, closing cost contributions, requests to include appliances or furniture, post-closing occupancy requests |
Don't overlook the closing timeline. An offer that works perfectly on price but requires you to be out in 15 days — or asks you to wait 60 — can create significant stress. Counter on timeline the same way you'd counter on price.
***
## Your response options
For every offer you receive, you have three choices:
1. **Accept** — sign the purchase agreement and move into the contract phase. Once accepted, you're bound by the contract terms.
2. **Reject** — decline the offer outright. You're not required to explain why. The buyer may or may not submit a revised offer.
3. **Counter** — respond with modified terms. You can counter on price, closing date, contingency timeframes, earnest money, concessions, or any other term in the contract. Negotiations can go back and forth multiple rounds until both parties agree or one party decides not to continue.
There is no legal requirement in Florida to respond to offers in any particular order or within any specific timeframe — unless the offer itself contains a response deadline, which is common. Treat response deadlines seriously: if a deadline passes, the buyer can withdraw the offer.
***
## Multiple offers
If more than one offer arrives — whether at the same time or in close succession — you have several options:
* **Review and compare them simultaneously** and respond to each one (accept one, counter or reject others)
* **Call for highest and best** — notify all buyers that you're in a multiple-offer situation and invite each to submit their strongest final offer by a deadline
* **Accept the best offer as received** without running a highest-and-best round
Florida real estate law does not require you to respond to offers in the order received or to treat all buyers identically. You can choose whichever approach best serves your interests.
In a strong multiple-offer situation, calling for highest-and-best can push your final price meaningfully above asking. But it can also cause a strong buyer to walk if they feel they're being played against others. Your broker (on Elite) can help you read the situation.
***
## Support by plan
On Essentials and Pro, you review all offers and manage all negotiations **independently**. You have full access to every document through your seller dashboard and can communicate directly with the buyer's agent to ask questions, request clarification, or submit a counteroffer.
If you reach an offer and realize you'd like broker guidance before responding, you can **upgrade to Elite at any time — even after an offer has arrived** — with no upgrade penalty.
Support is available at [support@fortifylistings.com](mailto:support@fortifylistings.com) or **(407) 777-4-MLS** (M–F, 9 am – 5 pm ET) for process and platform questions.
On Elite, a licensed broker is available to **review each offer with you** before you respond. Your broker will:
* Walk through the purchase agreement and all addenda term by term
* Flag contingencies, unusual clauses, or terms that warrant attention
* Advise on response strategy — whether to accept, reject, or counter, and on what terms
* Help you structure counteroffers and respond to the buyer's agent
* Guide you through multiple-offer scenarios, including whether to run a highest-and-best and how to structure it
Reach your broker directly via the **priority broker line** in your seller dashboard — available during business hours for time-sensitive situations.
You can upgrade from Essentials or Pro to Elite at any point — including after you've received an offer. There are no upgrade fees and no penalties. Many sellers make this decision the moment their first offer lands.
***
## Frequently asked questions
Yes. You can counter on any term — price, closing date, contingency timeframes, earnest money, seller concessions, included items, or anything else in the contract. Counteroffers can go back and forth multiple rounds. There's no limit on the number of rounds, and either party can walk away at any point before a final agreement is signed. Elite sellers have broker guidance through every round of the back-and-forth.
When you receive an offer on Elite, your broker reviews the full purchase agreement and all addenda with you. This includes a term-by-term walkthrough, identification of any contingencies or clauses that carry risk or opportunity, and a recommended response strategy. If you decide to counter, your broker helps you structure the counteroffer. Throughout multiple-offer situations, your broker advises on how to run a highest-and-best and how to evaluate the results. This guidance is available via the priority broker line in your dashboard throughout the transaction.
Yes. You can receive, hold, and review multiple offers simultaneously. Florida real estate law does not require you to respond in order of receipt or treat all offers equally. You can accept one, counter others, reject some, or run a highest-and-best scenario with all active buyers. If you're on Elite, your broker can advise on which approach is likely to produce the best outcome given the specific offers in hand.