Lines you'll hear, and what they mean

Verbal offer

"Deal? I'll bring the paperwork by later."

Nothing exists until it's a signed contract with price, deposit, closing date, and who pays what.

What to do: "Send it in writing."

Manufactured urgency

"This offer's only good today."
"Sign today and I'll bump it up."

A real buyer's number is the same next week.

What to do: Sleep on it. Anyone who won't wait 48 hours wasn't going to close.

Bait

"I'll pay you more than you'd get on the market."

Nobody pays retail for a house they can't inspect and resell. The price comes down later or the buyer disappears.

What to do: Treat the highest offer as the least likely to close.

Isolation

"You don't need a lawyer, it's a standard contract."
"Don't talk to a realtor."

A buyer afraid of a second opinion knows the number is low.

What to do: $25 buys 30 minutes with a Florida Bar referral lawyer, 800-342-8011.

No footprint

"We're a national company. We buy in all 50 states."

What to do: Sunbiz.org (active Florida entity), a Florida address and phone, a title company you can call, a person who answers. Missing two of the four: walk.

Free shopping period

"We need 30 days for our contractor to walk it."

The "contractor" is often the real buyer touring your house.

What to do: 7 to 10 days is plenty for a real inspection; longer needs a real deposit.

The easy yes

"Sure, we can do that number."

A buyer who agrees to your price without comps, a walkthrough or a repair number isn't buying. He's locking you up to renegotiate later or to shop the contract. Real offers come with the math (Know what it's worth).

What to do: "What's that number based on?" If the answer is "you," it isn't an offer.

No proof of funds

"We're cash, we don't need to show you anything."

A real cash buyer produces a bank statement or lender letter the same day.

What to do: Ask before you sign.

Deed before closing

"Sign this so we can start title."
"It's just an authorization."

Some of these are deeds or powers of attorney.

What to do: Nothing gets signed before closing except the purchase contract. Read the top line of every page.

No date

"We'll close as soon as title is clear."

A contract without a closing date is a free option on your house.

What to do: A date on the page, and what happens if they miss it.

Token deposit

"$100 earnest money, that's standard."

It's what the trainers teach ($10 to $500). If $100 is all they risk, walking away costs them nothing.

What to do: Deposit held by the title company; ask when it becomes nonrefundable.

Seller-pays-fees

"There's a small processing fee up front."

Buyers don't charge sellers anything, ever.

What to do: Hang up.

Split payment

"We'll pay part now and the rest after closing."

No envelopes, no monthly checks, no "we'll settle up later."

What to do: Wired or certified funds at closing, in full, unless you chose seller financing with your own lawyer.

Subject-to

"We'll just take over your payments. You'll be free and clear."

The house becomes theirs; the loan stays yours.

What to do: No.

Sign something false

"Just tell the bank you're not selling."

Also: false short-sale affidavits, "occupied" when vacant. Your signature, your liability.

What to do: No.

Data grab

"I need your bank login to verify the payoff."

The title company gets your payoff with one signed authorization.

What to do: No logins, no SSN outside closing documents.

The planned re-trade

"The inspection came back and a few things came up we didn't expect."

First, the honest part: every serious buyer keeps the right to adjust after inspection. Sellers don't always disclose, and walls hide things. A real adjustment names the defect, comes with the inspection report or a contractor's estimate, and prices the fix. The tactic is the other version: it follows the easy yes, cites "the market" or "my buyers" instead of a defect, and lands the week before closing when you have no time to start over.

What to do: "Send me the report and the estimate." If they exist, negotiate. If they don't, the price stands or you're free.

The endless extension

"I just need a little more time to line everything up. Can we push closing two weeks?"

A buyer needing an inspection window is normal; nobody buys what they haven't seen. Extending it again and again while nothing goes hard means there's no buyer yet.

What to do: One extension, with the deposit going nonrefundable. A second means you're free.

Off-the-books closing

"My notary can come to you. We'll close right at the kitchen table."

Real closings happen at a licensed title company or attorney's office, with title insurance.

What to do: "Which title company?" Call them yourself.

Out before paid

"We'll need the house empty before we fund."

Keys change hands when the money is in your account.

What to do: Possession at funding, in the contract. Or the reverse: paid first, then move.