Purchasing a house can be extremely thrilling, however when you are tackling multiple offers, it is tremendously important to keep cool head and not let your feelings — or your competitive nature — overshadow your good judgment because there are a lot of unscrupulous maneuvers a homeowner can implement when confronted with potential purchasers attempting to outbid each other for their home. Real estate professionals are also susceptible to taking advantage of both the purchasers and sellers to boost their commissions higher and closure rates more impactful. Without a doubt there are accepted rules of engagement that deal with such scenarios, however they are not always respected — so all involved has to stay focused and alert for signs of foul play.
To curtail unfair tactics that arise in the bidding procedures, some provinces literally make it illegal for sellers to list any price that they do not plan to agree to simply to escalate a bidding war. There are specific regulations involving multiple offers that involve non-disclosure of details while demanding that any alterations to the bidding procedure must be discussed with all parties before implementing. However in the search to finagle a higher bid, often times critical facts are intentionally revealed or even misrepresented to influence the potential bidders.
Ideally, when buyers find themselves up against multiple offers, they will present an agreement that has as few terms and conditions as feasible and gives a fair amount for the home with the hopes it will entice the homeowner. It is generally hard for prospective purchasers to resist the urge to make excessive offers in the heat of the moment, a behavior that can be exploited by unscrupulous sellers and agents who could send back a perfectly good offer to see if it can be sweetened.
Bargaining strategies frequently incorporate an agreement between the seller and their agent not to disclose multiple offers, and purchasers in these circumstances are not even alerted that there is competition for their offer. Most sellers, however, are very keen on letting all purchasers know that they are anticipating other offers, but it then becomes their duty to make sure no sensitive facts leak out and that the process remains fair for all parties. This does not stop some realtors from communicating with their colleagues by making it public that bidding has started on one of their listings.
Another tactic sometimes used by unscrupulous sellers is deceiving potential purchasers, and also their realtors, by entertaining offers they have no desire of considering just to panic the other purchasers and starting a bidding war. A few homeowners even begin with a very low price in hopes of creating massive interest that will generate bids so high they actually go over the value of the property. However such schemes may backfire when word gets out among the real estate industry that a seller is influencing a bidding war because they will refrain from bringing their buyers to look at the property.