How to evaluate an offer on your Danish property

Request one written summary of the offer

Ask the agent to collect the price, requested handover date, included belongings and conditions in one place. A conversation can leave the parties with different ideas about what is included. Mark unresolved points clearly so an expression of interest is not mistaken for a complete agreement ready to sign.

Identify any response deadline and ask why it has been proposed. Leave time to read the material and consult your advisers. If several people own the home, decide who will collect questions and how you will reach a joint decision rather than sending inconsistent responses through the agent.

Compare offers on an equivalent basis

Put the offers side by side. A higher price may come with a later handover or a condition requiring the buyer to sell another property. A lower price may fit your moving schedule better. Neither feature automatically decides the result; understand the differences and what they mean for your circumstances.

As an illustrative calculation, two extra months with an additional cost of DKK 8,000 per month would cost DKK 16,000. These are selected numbers, not typical market costs. Use your own incremental expenses and avoid counting payments you would incur under both offers.

Understand the conditions before signing

Boligejer.dk describes an agreement stage involving negotiation and resolution of conditions. Signing and reaching a final transaction are not necessarily the same step. Ask your agent or adviser to explain the particular conditions, deadlines and options in the document you are considering.

If the buyer must sell their own home first, establish how that period works and what you may do during it. Do not assume a friend’s transaction had equivalent terms. Agreements with similar labels can differ in their treatment of continued marketing, other offers and deadlines for resolving conditions.

Source: Boligejer.dk: Negotiating and completing a sale (in Danish)

Make a coherent counterproposal

If you want changes, prioritise them. Is price, timing or a particular condition most important? Ask the agent to present the proposal together so the buyer understands the trade-offs. Several separate messages about different points can leave it unclear which earlier terms you still intend to include.

Base the discussion on comparable sales, the property’s characteristics and concrete costs. You do not need to justify the price by listing everything you have spent on the home. Obtain advice on the effect of responding or changing terms, rather than assuming an earlier offer remains available indefinitely.

Track the selected agreement until its status is clear

Review the final version and attachments, even after you have agreed the broad outline. Check dates, amounts and small wording changes. Get a list of the next deadlines, the person responsible for each and when you should expect an update on progress.

Before making decisions that depend on a secure sale, ask your adviser to explain its status. If a term changes, revisit the finances and moving plan. This matters particularly when you are also buying another home and one transaction’s timetable influences the other.