1. Put every offer into the same comparison format
Create one row per offer version, with columns for price, included items, requested credits, deposit terms, conditions, deadlines, closing and possession. Keep the full signed or proposed document beside your summary; a spreadsheet is a reading aid, not the contract. Mark blanks as questions rather than filling them from memory. A buyer's requested appliance package may be easy to overlook when the price dominates the conversation. Likewise, a closing date and a possession arrangement may need separate review. Give each version a clear label and time received, especially when counter-offers are moving quickly between several people.
- Use one current version for each comparison row.
- Copy exact dates and times from the proposed terms.
- Mark unclear wording for professional review before deciding.
2. Calculate estimated proceeds without counting money twice
Build the calculation from the price down: subtract the applicable selling expenses, negotiated credits, estimated mortgage payout and any other confirmed amounts that affect your proceeds. List taxes and adjustments separately when they remain uncertain. Use your own agreements and quotes rather than a standard commission percentage. FCAC identifies legal, mortgage discharge and possible early-repayment costs among the expenses to consider. A deposit is not extra purchase money on top of the agreed price. Ask the person preparing your closing statement how it is accounted for, and do not assume it is immediately available to fund another purchase or an urgent expense.
- Use a dated lender payout estimate for the relevant closing date.
- Distinguish quoted costs from provisional allowances.
- Count the purchase price only once in the proceeds calculation.
3. Work through a fictional two-offer example
Suppose Offer A is $620,000 and asks for a $7,000 credit. The seller estimates $18,000 in transaction expenses and a $310,000 mortgage payout. Its provisional proceeds are $285,000: $620,000 minus $7,000, $18,000 and $310,000. Offer B is $615,000 with no credit and the same assumed expenses and payout, giving $287,000. Before other adjustments, B leaves $2,000 more despite its lower headline price. Now suppose B's timing adds $4,000 in temporary housing and storage while A fits the move. The planning comparison becomes $283,000 versus $285,000. These invented amounts illustrate the worksheet; they are not typical fees, valuation evidence or predictions.
- Write each subtraction so another person can check the arithmetic.
- Keep moving costs distinct from the legal closing statement.
- Recalculate if dates, credits or lender estimates change.
4. Read conditions as specific decisions, not labels
For each condition, identify what must happen, who must act, the deadline and the required evidence or notice. “Financing” is only a heading; the wording determines what the parties have agreed. Ask your adviser how an inspection concern, a financing issue or a buyer's own sale would be handled under that particular offer. Avoid assigning a made-up percentage chance of completion based on the buyer's story. Record what is documented and what remains unknown. A condition-free offer still deserves review of the buyer's commitments, the transaction terms and your own ability to perform; it is not a reason to stop reading.
- List the action owner and evidence for each condition.
- Confirm how notices must be delivered under the agreement.
- Identify what would happen if the required step is not completed.
5. Discuss competing offers using the rules that apply
Agree with your representative on how questions and responses will be handled. In Ontario, RECO states that buyers who submit written offers must be told the number of competing offers; sharing offer content depends on the seller's direction. Do not assume that approach applies identically in another province. Keep personal information out of informal comparison messages and let your professional manage the applicable process. Separately, decide what you would need to improve an offer: a different date, a clarified inclusion or another term. A focused counter-proposal is easier to evaluate than a request to make everything better without explaining your priorities.
- Confirm local rules before sharing any competing-offer information.
- Agree on who communicates with each buyer or representative.
- Identify the specific term that would change your decision.
6. Record the decision and the next required action
Before accepting or countering, read the complete current version with your adviser and resolve inconsistencies between the worksheet and the document. In Quebec, the Chambre des notaires warns that accepted purchase offers are difficult to change or cancel; obtain advice before committing rather than expecting a later appointment to fix the terms. Once a decision is made, save the final version and create a short action list drawn from it. Record which notices, appointments and confirmations still need to happen. Tell the people coordinating your move what is confirmed and what remains conditional, so a promising negotiation does not become a prematurely booked moving day.
- Check every page and attachment in the final version.
- Assign the next deadline to a named person.
- Update the moving plan only from confirmed transaction information.
