Comprehensive Home Purchase Offer Spreadsheet
- Adam Garrett
- Aug 1
- 6 min read
Updated: Sep 1
For years, rather than relying exclusively on an offer, I've used a home purchase offer spreadsheet that I created from contract options and otherwise that's unlike anything I've ever seen before. It's grown over time and gotten smarter over time to allow for a more expeditious process for buyers who prefer speed over a better offer and over a higher level of personalization in the offer. I don't make this spreadsheet public, but in this article, I wanted to share about it and provide some instructions on using it for my clients as well as share the option to acquire it for a fee for those outside of my coverage area.
What is in this spreadsheet & how is it helpful?
It includes built-in ways to reduce the number of questions answered via auto-fill based on contract type, certain home qualities, certain buyer qualities, and the contract type used.
It includes a checklist near the top of certain things to check on prior to making an offer to reduce the statistical probability of buyers' remorse.
It's a way to have a much better grasp of the offer templates and the options available in a home purchase that go beyond the offer template, within the email to the listing agent or seller, and leading up to the offer.
It's a way to add a high level of personalization to an offer.
It's a way to do things that aren't present in the offer via modification or addition and that your agent might not mention, that could enhance the strength of an offer &/or reduce your liability or how much you pay. Some agents/brokers are not aware that some of the options in the offer spreadsheet exist.
Along with questions, it includes numerous explanations as well as hyperlinks to additional resources.
It includes references to where items are that are being asked about (i.e. location in the contract).
It's a way for me to give buyers an option to work on their typical offer preferences before they see their first home, which can help buyers make a more expeditious offer than they would otherwise.
It's a way for a buyer to work on an offer without the buyer's agent (i.e. if the buyer's agent has an appointment with someone else at the same time that a buyer decides to make an offer when time is of the essence in an offer deadline or multiple offer scenario) prior to a buyer's agent putting things together in the offer.
What offer types are in the offer spreadsheet?
REIN Standard Purchase Agreement (Hampton Roads)
VAR Residential Contract of Purchase (i.e. Middle Peninsula & Northern Neck)
VA Offers (On homes sold by the VA)
HUD Offers (On homes sold by HUD)
CVR Offers (Greater Richmond)
How do buyers navigate the offer spreadsheet?
This spreadsheet is best navigated for the 1st time prior to seeing any homes, that way a buyer can be quicker on the draw and get any remaining questions answered by their agent that are not present in the spreadsheet before the time comes to make an offer where time may be short in a multiple offer situation.
The sections in orange near the top are smart rows. Typically, with a response, you fill in the cell with something or leave it blank, depending on the circumstances. It's critical to follow the instructions to leave a cell blank when applicable in an orange row.
The column that states "buyer answer" at the top, with many cells in it highlighted in yellow, is the column to input your answers when applicable.
For more details on how to fill out his Google sheets, even if you're familiar with Google Sheets already, go to my article on Google Sheets, especially "Edit within Google Sheets".
Verbal Option
While most buyers want the spreadsheet itself in writing, some buyers may prefer to exclusively go over things verbally with Adam, which is completely fine, though not recommended, since I'll be going over an abbreviated version of things if exclusively going over things verbally. That will mean a higher probability of not as good of an offer, a higher amount of potential misunderstandings, etc.
When should the offer spreadsheet be avoided?
While the liability for missing items (especially redactions & additions not spelled out in the offer), having buyer's remorse, etc. increases when not using the offer spreadsheet, there are some cases when you may want to avoid the offer spreadsheet. The main time when it should be avoided is when under tight time constraints (i.e. an offer deadline in an hr) when the buyer did not previously state many of their general preferences prior to wanting to make the offer.
While this spreadsheet is primarily intended for my own buyers, it could also greatly benefit other agents, so I offer the option to purchase it for those outside of my coverage area w/ restrictions.
Purchasing the Spreadsheet for Those Not in My Coverage Area:
Previewing the spreadsheet
A limited amount of the spreadsheet is available for preview online, while a full preview is available in person in one of the Garrett Realty Partners offices of SE VA. A preview prior to purchase commitment is available also at the Washington (DC) Union Station for an additional $200 as long as round-trip train travel doesn't exceed $100 (it's often less than that) from Newport News or Norfolk and is able to be accomplished in a day (typically possible with time at WAS around noon).
Usage Restrictions & Cost ($1k)
I offer the spreadsheet available for purchase for $1k USD as a lifetime revocable license (if I discover that any terms below are broken) by others as long as they abide by the following restrictions:
Agree not to resell/republish it/reshare it openly on social media or online & to only share it with buyers (though it's fine for buyers to share with their agent, who is not permitted to reuse it or a similar adaptation without paying the fee).
private resharing to clients (not prospects) is permitted (the main reason that most would purchase it).
Are not a licensed real estate agent who operates in my coverage area
When sharing privately with others, include my name & a link to this page on the top row at the top of the questions for offer spreadsheet as the initial author, even if highly adapted to your local market, where it'd be best to mention that. Mine is highly personalized to SE VA, so while the spreadsheet would be a massive head start on creating your own, personalization is important, especially for your local primary offer type if it's not one built into the form.
Agree not to share this spreadsheet with other agents, closers, home inspectors, or those employed by mortgage companies, unless the intent in distribution is to help that individual purchase a home rather than redistributing further. When sharing this spreadsheet with others, they have no right to redistribute it to others.
These restrictions may be modified at any time, but if a new rule is added after you purchase it that eliminates your ability to qualify for it, you're entitled to either me granting an exception or a full refund, with Adam Garrett being able to choose between the 2 for you.
Purchasers should sign a contract with the above included prior to purchase.
Making a Purchase
To make a purchase, let me know by emailing me at agarrett@ggrva.com
If you'd like me to adapt the spreadsheet to your own contracts for you, I can do that for $50/hr in one of the following ways:
You can set an amount of hours budget in advance & I can work until that time or until I'm finished, whichever is earlier. For that, I could use recording devices/programs so that you could ensure that I'm not inflating hours.
I can work until completion with a max budgeted time per day of 2 hours, where you could track my progress and stop me at any time.
Other Strong Publicly Available Content Examples
Here are some of the strongest pieces of arguably unmatched US content that I share publicly that could greatly benefit agents and purchasers:
Here are some of the strongest pieces of arguably unmatched SE VA content that I share publicly that could greatly benefit agents and purchasers:
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