Buying a home
Everyone calls me DB. I’ve been building and renovating homes since the mid-90s, buying and selling since the early ’80s, and a licensed REALTOR® since 2008. I have a certain level of directness with my clients, so when I counsel them, they understand where I’m coming from. This might help explain my philosophy towards the buyer’s psychology and how to compete in the Southern California market.
Buyers
Needs to buy
Highly motivated buyers who buy out of need. They must buy. They were just redeployed. Foreclosure is upon them. Someone lost their job and can’t pay the bills. A life event has become so critical that they must move. Disruption is not welcome, but it’s a necessity.
Wants to buy
The second tier, who want to buy and in some ways need to, but the want overpowers the need, so they may be more cautious.
Wants a deal
Deal seekers, including lowball investors, who attempt to buy at severe discounts. They look for pain points and desperation in the marketing. They want to push the price down and usually don’t stop negotiating until the very, very end.
Just looking
They’re actually not buyers at all. They’re just looky-loos. They like looking at homes and getting design ideas.
In my experience, in any market, good or bad, up or down, the best homes end up in multiple offers because they’ve been marketed correctly. The buyers with a chance in those multiple-offer situations come from the first two groups. Here is what they need to do.
Before you buy
Every buyer weighs price, location and amenities. Picture them as the three corners of a triangle.
If you can’t pay all cash, you need a loan, and needing a loan doesn’t mean the all-cash buyer wins. Predominantly, all-cash buyers offer lower than list price, mostly because there’s no loan or appraisal contingency for a seller to have to consider. In 2025, sellers accepted an average 9% discount on cash purchases compared with financed ones.[1] Cash still carries weight: in 2021, all-cash offers were four times as likely to win a competitive situation, according to Redfin data reported by NAR in March 2022.[2]
My experience is that an offer crafted well can beat cash, even with a loan. I’ve done it many times. And if you’re one of the fortunate who can pay all cash, call DB. I’m happy to help.
The buyer who doesn’t show motivation or doesn’t engage their agent shows they’re not serious, and a seasoned listing agent typically won’t consider them. Agents work very hard for their commission and their clients, so a motivated buyer who is playing the game right is the one who gets to the negotiation table.
If you’re not showing your agent that you’re engaged, they’re not going to engage you either. Or worse, they’ll pester you constantly, which feels pushy. You have to find a balance with the right kind of agent.
From an open house
Recently I met a couple who complained that their agent wasn’t doing enough to show them the right home. I asked how long they’d been looking. They said three years.
Are they being realistic? Are they showing their agent they’re motivated?
Work with an agent who has done this more than a few times, whom you like and trust to put your interests first, and whose advice you heed. Most people just get pre-approved, and to a seasoned listing agent, that doesn’t mean much. You want to be completely underwritten: the lender has verified your assets, income and the usual unknowns before you make an offer.
Hold a consultation that includes every decision maker: you, a spouse, a co-signer, a parent who counsels you on everything. That way, in the 11th hour of a bidding war, nobody changes their mind because they were left out of the early conversation. I’ve seen key stakeholders who are decision makers and part of the financing solution walk in at the last minute and ruin deals because they weren’t part of everything early on. They weren’t part of the plan. So get your posse together.
Then be vigilant. Engage your agent, ask questions, show motivation, and set up searches on the third-party sites. Your agent sets you up on the local MLS, which typically will syndicate to the big guys: Zillow, Realtor.com, Redfin, etc. But did you know that Zillow also allows owners to list their home without an agent? It’s called a for sale by owner (FSBO), and these can be good sources of inventory too. Ask me about it. I can give you a nice list to check out.
I’ve spent 32 years in construction, and the first thing I do in any house is separate what’s cosmetic from what’s costly. Paint, carpet and light fixtures are a weekend and a budget. A roof at the end of its life, an old sewer line, foundation movement or knob-and-tube wiring are real money, and they change what the house is worth to you.
That’s why I tell buyers to get a full inspection, and the specialty ones the house calls for: a sewer scope on an older home, a roof or foundation look when something seems off. The inspector’s report tells you what you’re buying. I help you read it, so you know which items are a reason to negotiate, which are a reason to walk, and which are just a house being a house.
DB’s hint:
If you really think the property is a contender, go open the electrical panel and see if it’s labeled well and orderly. Or is it not ordered at all? Is it an old panel? The quality of an electrician and their detailed labels will tell you a lot about the wiring underneath the panel.
Ask DB for a list of tricks you should look for at your next open house.
Keep this in mind. You are interviewing for a business transaction, a partner in business, who ironically is on the opposite side of the negotiation table. And you need to ask yourself: if I were that seller, why would I want to be in business with me and my offer?
When a good house gets multiple offers, the highest number doesn’t always win. Sellers read the whole offer: how sure it is to close, how fast, and how much hassle it will be. A well-crafted offer can beat a bigger one.
A strong deposit shows you’re serious.
Clean, realistic contingencies. Keep the ones that protect you, and shorten the timelines where you safely can.
A close date that works for the seller, or a short rent-back if they need time to move.
Full underwriting, not just a pre-approval, so the seller knows your loan is real.
A good agent will know what skillful questions to ask. What I usually lead with is:
What DB asks
“Hey, Mr. Seller’s agent, besides price and short contingencies, what other terms are really important to the seller? Do they need time to close? Are they buying another property? Is this a 1031 exchange?”
Anything to get the seller’s agent to open up to things you can speak to intelligently that may not actually cost you any money whatsoever. This is how you help structure the offer. So make sure your agent’s asking those good questions.
I build every offer around what that particular seller needs. That’s how I’ve beaten cash offers with financed buyers many times.
Estate and probate homes
An estate house can be a real opportunity, but the process isn’t a normal sale. Some probate sales need court confirmation, and at the hearing another buyer can overbid you. Most are sold as-is, and the people selling may never have lived in the house, so they can’t tell you much about it.
I’m a C.A.R. Certified Probate & Trust Specialist and CPRES, and I work both sides of these sales, so I know what the seller is up against and how to write an offer the estate can accept. For the numbers behind a probate price, see How Probate Estates Are Valued.
Questions
Do I need to be pre-approved before I look?
You can look anytime. Before you make an offer, get fully underwritten, not just pre-approved. It puts you at the top of the pile.
Can I beat a cash offer with a loan?
Often, yes. A clean, well-written financed offer with full underwriting can win.
Should I skip the inspection to win?
I don’t advise it. There are smarter ways to make your offer stronger.
Do you work outside the Westside?
Yes. I represent buyers across Los Angeles and Southern California.
Why should I work with DB?
I’m not saying you should, but I’d welcome the opportunity to talk to you about what you’re trying to achieve. Feel free to talk to some of my past clients and the people who know me well, and they’ll be sure to tell you that I’m direct, honest, fairly laid back, and would like to see you win.
Why it matters
Overall, this is my take on being a buyer in this market and the steps you want to take if you want to win. You’re buying several things. You’re buying the shelter and stability of a home to live in. You’re buying an investment: a property that typically appreciates in value, ultimately building wealth. And you’re buying a place for family, love and support: a place to call home.
Thinking about buying? Call DB.
1.
Cotality, “Why cash buyers are getting a better deal,” Feb 9, 2026 (national). cotality.com
2.
NAR, “All-cash buyers more likely to win bidding wars,” March 2022, using Redfin data from 2021. nar.realtor
