Let's imagine a fairly common scenario in today's market...

You've just listed your home at a price that is reasonable given recent comparable sales. The property shows well, and within the first few days, we've had a quite a few showings -- and now, a few offers are starting to come in.

Two of the offers stand out:

One is at the full asking price, but it includes several relatively standard contingencies -- home inspection, financing, and appraisal.

The other is below the asking price (maybe $5K to $10K under asking), but it's a much cleaner offer with only a financing contingency, and no inspection or appraisal contingency.

Which would you prefer?

There's not one correct answer here. Some sellers will lean toward the full price offer, even with contingencies, while others may value having less risk of the cleaner offer, even at a slightly lower price.

So if you're a buyer preparing to make an offer on a home that is recently listed and priced reasonably, one question we'll probably want to ask is... whether the seller would prefer a full price offer with contingencies or a slightly lower offer with fewer contingencies.

There's no guarantee that the seller (or their agent) will provide a helpful answer -- but it doesn't hurt to ask. And as a buyer, we'll always be trying to make an offer that corresponds with the seller's goals.

The main thing to remember is... don't assume that the highest offer always wins -- but also don't assume that the cleanest offer does either.