Approval letter from lender – take the time to get pre-approved before you make an offer so the seller will be more comfortable in your ability to obtain a loan.
Pre-inspection– find out if you can do a pre-inspection (an inspection which occurs before an offer is made). This will enable you make an offer that does not have an inspection contingency. However, this can be a gamble as the inspection will cost money and this is not a guarantee that your offer will be accepted.
Money down – when competing against other offers, consider increasing your down payment. This settles most seller concerns about your financial viability.
Earnest money – putting as much of your down payment into your earnest money deposit makes a very strong impression. Sellers like high earnest money amounts because they feel that this ensures you won’t break the contract because you will be worried about losing this money.
Reports/disclosure – have your agent find out everything they can about the property and get copies of all reports and the seller disclosure up front. Approve these reports and simplify the offer.
Personal letter – if you really want the home, write the seller a letter indicating why their particular home is a good fit for your needs. You would be surprised at how many multiple offer situations are decided based on the letters that buyers have presented to sellers.