Compare net and dates before you counter
Put each offer on one row and counter the gap in your net.
Make one row per offer before you counter anything. The columns are the price, the credits, the closing date, and what has to happen first, such as an inspection, an A valuation ordered for the lender. It can differ from the price in the offer., or a loan approval. A row that is missing a date is not ready to compare. Go back to the offer and fill it in. If two offers arrive the same day, they still get two rows. Do not merge them into a blend.
Run the proceeds calculator for each row and write the net in the last column. Use the same payoff and the same costs on every row so the difference is the offer, not a change in your assumptions. A date you cannot move on is a no even when the net is higher. Circle the row that meets the net you wrote down and a timeline you can actually meet. If none do, the counter is the specific gap: the credit, the date, or the net. Write that gap in plain numbers.
Answer before the offer expires. If you need more time, ask for it in writing. Do not let a deadline pass in silence if you still want that offer. Silence is an answer you may not mean. Put the expiration time at the top of the row so you see it before you refine the wording. A counter that arrives late is a new offer, and you should not assume the other terms survived.
Recalculate after every counter, including your own. A concession you add in the last sentence can drop the net under your line. Read the row out loud once before you send it: net, date, and what still has to happen. Send the answer in writing the way the form requires, and file the row with the copy. If a third offer shows up, it gets a row too. You do not throw out the page because the stack got thicker.
What to do
- Build one comparison row per offer, with price, credits, date, and what has to happen first.
- Calculate the net on each row with the same payoff and costs.
- Counter the specific gap, or ask for more time in writing before the deadline.
- Recalculate after every counter and send the answer in writing.