How I Best 3 Other Offers on an On Market Deal This Week

I bought a deal today.

Nothing off-market.
Nothing fancy.
Just sitting on Zillow.

It was listed at $220k and had been on the market for about two days. Duplex.

Here’s the backstory, and why the seller picked my offer over three others.

Once again, I personally write these…

Inside the Trenches:

This property was originally listed a couple months ago for $260k and went pending with multiple offers over asking.

Then everything went sideways.

During escrow:

• The main water was shut off
  

• The upstairs tenant removed their washer
  

• They didn’t shut off the water supply to the washer
  

• The city came by unannounced, swapped meters, and turned the water back on
  

The result?

The upstairs unit flooded. That water poured into the downstairs unit. All the sheetrock in both units was destroyed.

The buyers walked. Insurance claim filed. Sellers cleaned it up and re-listed, no sheetrock, lower price, and probably a whole lot of frustration as you can imagine.

This was also an estate sale, which usually means multiple decision-makers, stress, and a strong desire to just be done.

How I Found It (and Why I Moved Fast)

So there I was, at my desk, supposed to be working on really important stuff…and I found myself instead cruising zillow in my market. I literally just saw this property sitting there, asking to be looked at, begging me to stop all my other work and just ‘take a peek.’ 

15 Minutes later…I sent it to my agent. They ran comps:

• ARV: $425k–$435k
  

• Rents: ~$1,500 per unit

Oh man…I was not planning on walking a property today, so I called up my local guy that can go drive the property for me…well…he was sick!  So I decided to do the unthinkable…I walked it myself. 

If you have been following me for a while, you will note that I do not typically walk the properties before I buy them.  In fact, its a rule, if I have to walk it before we buy it then we shouldn’t be buying it (someone else can walk it, not me).  Yet there was something about this deal, it really did look like a super solid deal and I knew from talking to my agent that this property would go fast.

The property has solid bones, sure it was a mess, but pretty much everything needed is cosmetic.  I put the rehab around $75k-85k max.

And there was something else most people probably missed…

The property is zoned to allow an ADU.
There’s a 5,000 sq ft side yard.
City already confirmed we can build it (confirmed it yesterday).

Bonus!

The Offers on the Table

We were told there were three other offers:

• Two cash offers below asking, both with inspections
  

• One solid offer, but with financing and inspection

Instead of trying to squeeze the seller or get clever, I put myself in their shoes. They already thought the property was sold once, they’d dealt with a major issue during escrow, and they knew that in today’s market most investors were going to try to lowball them.

They didn’t want the best offer.  They wanted the most certain one.

The Offer I Wrote

I offered:

• Full price (they already priced it right at a big discount)
  
  

• No inspections
  
  

• No contingencies (other than clear title + title insurance)
  

• $20k non-refundable earnest money
  
  

• Close on or before two weeks
  
  

• And told them we could close whenever was comfortable for them

That was it. They were thrilled.  Not because I was clever, but because I made their life easy.  In fact, we officially closed today.  Better yet, they also informed us they have TEN other duplexes in the estate that they would like to off load, none on the market at this time, they already sent us the addresses to start working through with them.  HUGE win.  

Why I Was Comfortable Waiving Inspection

This offer wasn’t reckless. It was calculated.

• Five solid ARV comps within 0.25 miles
  

• Strong rent comps
  

• Rehab was straightforward
  

• Plenty of buffer
  

At a $425k ARV, buying at $220k, I could spend $100k on rehab and still be fine. That’s how I think about risk. I measure downside first, not upside.

Worst case?

• I can rent it
  

• I can sell it at a discount and get my money back
  

• I can build the ADU

Multiple exits. Low risk. The best sort of deal in TODAY’s market.

The Real Lesson Here

The bigger lesson here is simple: empathize with the seller and make their life easier. When you do that consistently, agents and wholesalers start to trust you. Over time, you become the buyer people want to work with because when you say yes, you close without issues.

That reputation compounds, and it’s one of the most underrated advantages you can build in this business.

Agents and wholesalers start saying:

“I love doing deals with Tarl. When he says yes, it’s easy and he closes.”

When this starts to happen, deals start coming to you first.

That’s how real operators win in the long run, your reputation is everything.  It takes years to build up, and seconds to destroy.  

Quick Heads Up

REI Summit (April 1–3 in Austin, TX) is where we break down exactly this kind of thinking, real deals, real decisions, today’s market (not yesterdays).

Early bird tickets are live right now, and prices go up January 2nd at midnight.  Use discount code TARL10 for an additional 10% off of the early bird price.  Go to www.REISummit2026.com today before prices go up.

If you want actionable strategy from people actually in the trenches like me, grab your ticket before the price jump.

See you there.

Tarl

PS: Happy New Year!  I predict that 2026 will be the year where the professionals in this business begin to lap the amateurs.  Don’t be an amateur.  Work on your business, sharpen your pencils, and never bet on the market.  Bet on your business instead.