One of the trends I've been noticing more frequently in the Harrisonburg and Rockingham County real estate market over the past few months is that some sellers are accepting offers very quickly -- sometimes not waiting for additional potential offers to show up.

Now, to be clear, not every seller is doing this. Some sellers do choose to wait several days to allow more showings and give other buyers time to submit competing offers. But more and more, I'm seeing sellers take a serious look at that first strong offer that comes in -- and some are choosing to move forward with that first (only) offer rather than waiting for additional offers.

Why would a seller accept an early offer?  There are actually plenty of good reasons why a seller might decide not to wait:

If the terms are favorable, why wait?  A solid offer with strong financing and limited contingencies is hard for many sellers to ignore -- especially if the timing or other terms align with what the seller was hoping for.

Will the next offer really be better?  Sometimes the first offer is the best offer. While it's possible another one might come in, it's not guaranteed, and it might not be any stronger.

Buyers can change their minds.  An excited buyer might write a strong offer in the heat of the moment, but waiting around might lead to hesitation or cold feet. Sellers sometimes prefer to lock in a motivated buyer rather than take that risk.

Of course, unless we're in the room with the seller, we don't know the full story behind why a quick decision was made. But I'm seeing early offers being accepted more often these days.

What does this mean for buyers?

If you're in the market to buy a home right now, this is your heads up -- you can't always count on having a few days to think it over - AND - if you're serious about a new listing, don't hesitate to make an offer quickly. The seller might wait a few days for more offers -- but they might not. And if the right offer is already on the table, they could decide to take it and be done.