From the Top
The RLAH live-training series. Watch the class replay, jump to any moment, work the checklist, and keep the full playbook on hand. New module every Tuesday at 6:30 PM EST.
Everything that happens before an offer is written — how to set your client, and yourself, up to win the deal.
- Build a client experience you run every time
- The six commitments & the two-way boundary
- Price the offer & help the client decide
- Make the listing agent your best friend
- FHA condo lookup & the 90-day flip rule
Jump to Any Moment
Open the replay, then scrub to a timestamp below. Each chapter also links to the matching section of the playbook further down this page.
Your Action Checklist
Ten things to lock in before your next buyer. Tick them off — your progress saves on this device.
The Road to
Ratification Playbook
The whole class, distilled into a reference you can keep: the five-stage road, the six commitments, the pricing cheat-sheet, the listing-agent call scripts, the FHA rules, and the questions to ask before you write. It's all right below.
Read the Playbook ↓Need a Backup?
Never let an offer wait because you're unavailable. Pair up with an RLAH agent who can write in a pinch. Each one teach one — everybody eats at the same table.
"I can write an offer as quickly as you can make a decision."
Post in the Slack channelFrom the Top, Week by Week
Before Ratification
Setting client & self up before an offer is written.
Available NowDuring Ratification
Deadlines, contingencies & the ratified contract.
Next TuesdayContract to Close
Walking your buyer from ratified to keys in hand.
Coming SoonThe Seller Side
Listings, pricing & representing the seller.
PlannedFive Stages to Ratified
Every buyer runs the same road, every time. Follow your process — don't skip steps just because things move fast.
The Buyer's Consultation
Hold a real consultation. Assess needs, wants, budget and timeline. Explain agency and how you get paid, and get the relationship in writing.
Don't trip up: skipping the consult to start showing houses.
Align Financing & Pre-Approval
Connect them with a lender, verify the approval is real, and understand the loan type, down payment, and limits before you go anywhere.
Don't trip up: showing properties to an unapproved buyer.
Home Search & Showings
Curate listings to their criteria, run showings efficiently, and pull comps and property history so you walk in informed.
Listen first, then guide. Really hear their goals — then give feedback.
Draft the Offer
Have the conversation with the buyer, the lender, and the listing agent. Then draft it immediately.
Write the offer the moment they say they want to — not when offers are "due."
Advocate & Ratify
Submit and advocate hard. Stay in communication, keep your paperwork tight — counters, addenda, contingency dates — and adjust if competition appears. Then all parties sign.
95% submit and walk away. Be the 5% that stays on the scene.
A Client Experience
You Run Every Time
If a client stresses you out, or keeps asking the same questions, or starts trusting everyone above you — look at your experience first. Could you have mitigated it up front? Lay the baseline and you answer questions they didn't know they had.
The Discovery Call
A 15–30 minute call (sometimes 45 — people tell you their whole life). Figure out what they're going through, their questions, and their needs. Before you hang up, clearly articulate what they should expect from you — then connect them to the lender to get pre-approved.
The Pre-Approved Consultation
A sit-down (in person or on Zoom — not the phone). Show them the market at their price point, walk the full process start to finish, and give them a high-level look at the contract so nothing catches them off guard.
Present it — don't just send it. Presenting lets you talk them through.
"The more confidence they have in you, the more they listen to you. They'll say: whatever you say do, I'm gonna do it."
Six Commitments
to Every Client
This is what we put in the buyer's guide — said out loud, in the consultation. It sets the expectation and builds the authority that carries the whole transaction.
We Get You In The Door
24-hour notice at minimum, same-day when we can. No scheduling link — just call us. We don't want you to lose the house.
We Handle Hard Conversations
With the listing agent, the lender, the title company — or even with you. We are not afraid of a tough conversation.
We Stay On Your Paperwork
Purchasing involves a mountain of documentation. We keep it all in one hub so nothing slips.
We're On Your Side — When You're Right
If you're going about it the wrong way, we'll tell you. But when it counts, we defend you, every time.
We're Your Neighborhood Expert
Licensed in DC, Maryland & Virginia. Ask about any area — we've likely sold there, or know someone who can help.
We're Your Problem Solver
We can't promise a flawless deal — there's a whole other side we don't control. But we'll always fight to make the wrong go right. If we can't, we move to Plan B.
Set the Boundary Up Front
This is a relationship business, and every relationship has a boundary. Tell them what to expect from you — and what you expect from them. Have the "if we don't align, I'll have no problem letting you go" conversation early, without fear.
It builds authority. The wrong-fit client removes themselves before you ever have to. Because just as you're sizing them up — they're sizing you up too.
"How you respond to them and how you present to them tells them how they can treat you."
"We're gonna buy a house, but you're gonna pay the mortgage. I'm gonna treat your money like my money. We're in this together — if you don't like it, I don't like it. But you need to be doing what you need to be doing as a buyer."
— Nicole Payton
Help Them Decide
When they ask "how much should I offer?" — don't bounce it back with "how much do you want to spend?" That's how you become their fourth agent. Give a number. They hired you to be the expert.
Don't Overload Them
Too much information makes them fearful, confused, frustrated — and unable to decide. Comps and analysis are for the analytical client who asks. For everyone else, enable the decision.
"Real estate is not that serious." — Nicole
Stay In Your Lane
You are not the lender. Don't quote rates or call a monthly payment final. Give a ballpark with a disclosure, then let the lender give the definite answer — or they'll hold your number against you.
Send the lender 3 scenarios — never one number.
Typically 1–3% of price. A higher EMD signals stronger interest. Due within ~72 hours of acceptance.
Usually 10 days or less. Drop to 5 days, or go as-is, to be more competitive.
Estimate 4–5% of purchase price.
Fixed by loan type (FHA / VA / conventional). The one number you can state plainly.
Increase EMD · faster close · limit or remove contingencies · escalation clause.
If they need 4–6% seller help, you can't lowball — the math has to leave room for closing help and your fee.
"I'm gonna tell you right now this ask is ridiculous and I don't think it'll work — but let's see, because I could be wrong. I'll never assume a no. I'm gonna ask, or I'm gonna create my yes."
— Althea
Make Them Your Best Friend
Call the listing agent directly — even on speakerphone in front of your buyer. Sales is psychology: the more you let a person talk, the more they tell you. You can get every answer without asking directly.
Open warm & identify yourself
"Hi, this is [name] with RLAH — got a quick second? I have a buyer very interested in [123 Main Street]."
Ask what's on the table
"Do you have any offers in hand? Are they strong? I know you can't give the number — is the seller considering anything, or waiting?"
Find what the seller values
"What matters most to your seller — timeline, a rent-back, terms? Is anyone using a broker you have a relationship with?" Let them ramble. They'll tell you the seller's business.
Float your number
"We're thinking around [$575K] — does that work for your seller?" Their reaction calibrates your real offer, live, while your buyer listens.
Close the loop
"I'll talk to my buyer and call you right back. I'll text you the second the offer's in. OK to reach back out?"
Submitting isn't the finish line. 95% of agents submit and walk away. Staying on the scene is how a lower offer still wins — agents value service and peace as much as the number.
- Submit immediately, then text to confirm it's in — exactly as you promised.
- Next day, make it a task: "Did you get a chance to review? Any new offers come in?"
- Day before the sellers return, check in again — "Hope they're back safely. Did you have a chance to review the offers?"
- Every touch, update your buyer. You stay top of mind, the agent sees how you'll show up in the deal, and you've made a new best friend.
"How I'm showing up for you now is exactly how I'm going to show up inside the transaction."
"This is Shawanda with RLAH — are you available for a quick chat? I'm calling about your listing at 123 Main Street. I have a buyer who's very interested. Do you have any offers right now in hand?"
"I do have three in hand — we hit the market about a week ago and got them after the open house. My seller's out of town, so I won't present until Friday."
"How strong are they? And could you disclose what's most important to your seller?"
"Honestly haven't reviewed them yet — I'll look a day or two before they're back. I can't give too much, but they're buying another property, so we may need a rent-back."
"Got it — possible rent-back. My client's pre-approved and strong; I'll get the offer to you ASAP and text you when it's in. OK to reach back out with questions?"
Direct, every question answered, lines of communication opened. She learned the timeline, the unreviewed offers, and the possible rent-back — and set up the follow-up that wins the deal.
"Don't marry the house — somebody can slide through the back door. And forget what you think: if they say they have offers, the answer is yes. Write like they do."
The FHA Reference
A lot of agents — buyer and listing — don't know these. Knowing them up front makes you the resourceful authority in the room.
Is the condo FHA-approved?
For an FHA buyer, the condo must be on HUD's approved list. You can check it yourself in about a minute — don't always wait on the lender.
- Google "HUD FHA-approved condos" → open the HUD condominium list.
- Select the state, then enter the condo association name.
- Check the status — Approved, or Expired (e.g. "expired 2010" = not approved).
If it's not approved: ask the lender about a single-unit (spot) approval via the condo questionnaire, and ask the listing agent for resale docs and the owner-occupancy ratio. Note: it may still go conventional — but often needs 10% down. Applies to VA buyers too.
When a flip can't close FHA
If the current owner — usually an investor — has owned the property less than 90 days, an FHA buyer cannot purchase it.
Even on the 90th day, the home still can't go under contract. Not until the 91st day. Spot a freshly-renovated flip? Check the ownership date before you write.
Questions to Ask
Each party tells you something you need to know before you write. But first — stop dragging your feet. Write the offer the moment they say they want to. A seller can accept at any time.
Ask the Buyer
- What can you comfortably pay — monthly and cash? Revisit at offer time; budgets stretch for the right house.
- What's your why, your motivation, your timeline?
- Don't put pricing entirely on them — people lowball their budget. Ask, then guide.
Ask the Lender
- Send the full picture: address, HOA / condo dues, taxes → cash to close and monthly payment.
- Run three scenarios, not one number, so you bring options back.
- Confirm the loan type, down payment and limits — and verify the pre-approval is real.
Ask the Listing Agent
- Any offers in hand? How strong are they?
- What matters most to the seller — timeline, rent-back, terms?
- Float your number — does it work? When will they review, and have any new offers come in?
"I can write an offer as quickly as you can make a decision. Stop dragging your feet — and if you can't write it, phone a friend. We're a brokerage. Each one teach one, everybody eats at the same table."
— AltheaConsult → Finance → Search → Draft → Advocate
Set the experience, set the boundary, price with confidence, work the phone, and never drag your feet. Do that, and you walk your buyer all the way to a signed contract.
See you next Tuesday,
Althea Hearst
Managing Broker · RLAH Real Estate
