🏆 How to Win in a Multiple Offer Situation

One of the most discouraging things a buyer can experience is making an offer on a home they love — only to lose it to someone else. It can make the whole process feel unfair, or like the deck is stacked against you. This week, I want to pull back the curtain on what actually wins in a multiple offer situation — because it’s probably not what you think.

Myth: Multiple offer situations come down to whoever has the deepest pockets.

Truth: In the LA market, the offer that wins is almost never just the highest number. It’s the offer that comes with the right agent behind it.

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You found the home. You love it. You submit your offer. And then your agent calls to tell you there are four other offers on the table.

Your heart sinks.

It doesn’t have to. Because here’s what most buyers don’t know: in the LA market, multiple offer situations are not purely a bidding war. They’re a negotiation — and the outcome depends heavily on who’s doing the negotiating on your behalf.

It’s Not Just About the Number

Sellers and their agents are not just looking at the dollar amount on the top of your offer. They’re evaluating the full picture:

• How likely is this deal to actually close?
• How easy will this buyer be to work with through escrow?
• Does this agent communicate well, follow through, and know what they’re doing?

A seller who has already been through one failed escrow — and many in LA have — cares deeply about certainty. They want the deal that gets to closing, not just the deal with the biggest number that falls apart two weeks in.

That’s where your agent becomes your most important asset.

The Agent-to-Agent Relationship Changes Everything

Here’s something nobody tells buyers: listing agents talk to buyer’s agents before offers are even reviewed. They’re reading the room. They’re asking themselves, “Is this someone I can work with? Do I trust that if we get into escrow together, they’ll communicate clearly, handle issues professionally, and get this done?”

In a market as relationship-driven as Los Angeles, that question matters more than people realize.

When I call a listing agent, I’m not just presenting your offer. I’m building rapport. I’m asking the right questions — about the seller’s timeline, their priorities, what matters most to them beyond price. I’m finding out what makes their seller feel confident. And then I’m positioning you as the answer to that.

That’s not something that shows up on a piece of paper. It’s what happens in the conversations that happen before the offers are opened.

My Job Is to Make You the Most Attractive Buyer for That Specific Seller

Every seller is different. Some need a fast close. Some need extra time to move out. Some are emotionally attached to the home and want to know it’s going to good hands. Some have already had a deal fall through and need to feel like this buyer is rock solid.

My job is to find out which of those things matter — and make sure your offer speaks directly to them.

That might mean setting a close date that accommodates the seller’s move. It might mean writing a clean, straightforward offer with no unnecessary complexity. It might mean a direct conversation with the listing agent that signals you’re serious, prepared, and easy to work with. Often, it’s all three.

This is what “winning” a multiple offer situation actually looks like. It’s not throwing more money at the problem. It’s strategy, communication, and relationships working together.

Being an Agent’s Agent

I take pride in being an agent that other agents want to work with. That means following up when I say I will. It means being honest about where my buyer stands. It means handling hard conversations professionally and not making the other side feel like the enemy.

Real estate in LA is a small world. The agents who have strong reputations among other agents consistently have their buyers’ offers viewed more favorably — not because of any impropriety, but because trust is currency in this business. When a listing agent knows your agent delivers, they pay attention.

That’s the edge I bring to the table for you.

Peacock Your Offer: Show Everything You’ve Got

Here’s a term I use with my buyers: peacock. In a multiple offer situation, we want your offer package to spread its feathers and show the seller every reason to feel confident that you can do the one thing that matters most — close the deal.

That means we don’t hold anything back. We lead with your strongest financial picture, front and center:

• A fully underwritten pre-approval — not a quick pre-qual, but a letter from a lender who has actually reviewed your income, assets, credit, and employment. This is the difference between “I think I can get this buyer approved” and “this buyer is approved.” Sellers feel that difference.
• Proof of funds — bank statements or investment account screenshots showing the cash for your down payment is real and accessible. Not theoretical. Real.
• A clean, complete offer package — every form filled out correctly, no missing signatures, no loose ends. A sloppy offer tells a listing agent something about how the rest of the transaction will go. A tight, complete package says the opposite.

The goal is simple: by the time a listing agent finishes reading your offer, they should feel zero doubt about your ability to perform. No questions. No hesitation. Just confidence that if their seller picks you, the deal closes.

That’s what peacocking looks like in real estate — and it’s something I help my buyers do from day one, long before we’re ever in a competitive situation.

What You Can Do as the Buyer

Get your financial house in order before you start making offers. That means being fully pre-approved, having your proof of funds ready to go, and trusting your agent to do the rest.

Give me the flexibility to have real conversations with the listing agent — to find out what the seller truly needs and position you as the answer. The buyers who win aren’t always the ones with the biggest offer. They’re the ones whose agent showed up prepared, built the right relationship with the other side, and made it easy for a seller to say yes.

Multiple offer situations can feel out of your control. But with the right preparation and the right person in your corner, you have far more of an advantage than you think.

And here’s something I’ll just be honest with you about: I love being in multiples. I know that might sound crazy, but while a competitive situation can feel stressful for a buyer, I genuinely get a thrill out of it. The strategy, the relationships, the negotiation — that’s where I’m in my element. So if the thought of multiple offers makes you want to run the other direction, just know: I got you. That’s exactly where I do my best work.

Questions? Let’s talk about how I approach competitive situations and what it would look like to have me in your corner. I promise you — it’s a very different experience when your agent actually loves the fight.

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I’m YOUR Real Estate JED.I love helping first-time home buyers make their first home more affordable, and I love helping sellers looking to move up to their forever home. Let’s jump on a V.I.P. (Vision & Initial Possibilities) call and see where you’re at, and I’ll help you figure out the next steps to getting you where you want to be!

Contact
917.601.0038
8560 West Sunset Blvd, 3rd Floor, West Hollywood, CA 90069
jed@jedi.la

Schedule your V.I.P. Consultation