How do you win a house without a bidding war?
Get there first and make it easy to say yes. After a sewer problem killed one Escondido deal, my buyers saw a house listed at $850,000 nearby, offered that day with everything the sellers asked for, and asked them to cancel their open houses. One day on market, the only offer, closed November 2025. I'm Jared Harman, their agent.
Published . Last updated . Figures are from my own records unless a source is linked.
Why did they walk away from the first house?
We were under contract on a house in Escondido for $850,000. Inspections turned up root intrusion in the sewer line.
The bulk of it was not under the house, where things are pretty easy. It ran all the way under the street, out to where the line connects to the main.
That changes the job. Work under the street takes a different kind of contractor, one authorized to dig there. A normal sewer reline is ballpark $10,000 to $15,000. This was a whole construction job to replace a couple of feet of pipe, and it came in over $20,000. (Ballpark figures from this deal, not a price guide.)
Why did the sellers not fix it?
They were flippers, and there wasn't room in their budget to meet us on it. It was a problem they hadn't caught when they bought the house.
That's not a mistake I'm ever going to make. We walked.
What made the second house worth moving on fast?
Another house came up very close by, also listed at $850,000. Slightly better location, better condition, fewer issues.
My thinking: if this one is better than the house we just walked away from, it could easily get bid up past $850,000. And $850,000 was already a great baseline for value.
I met one of my buyers there. We walked it, and we liked it.
How did we keep it from turning into a bidding war?
We made an offer that same day. I told the listing agent: we'll give you everything you're asking for, but you need to cancel your open houses and accept this right away.
If we could lock it up before anyone else came to the table, nobody could bid it up $10,000, $15,000 or $25,000. That saves my clients time, headache, and a lot of money.
Honestly, in the listing agent's shoes, I probably wouldn't have said yes. If one buyer will pay everything you ask up front, odds aren't bad someone else will too, and two buyers against each other is a bidding war.
They said yes. One day on market, and ours was the only offer.
What did I tell the sellers about my buyers?
Very little. I didn't share anything about my buyers beyond what had happened down the street with the sewer line.
I sold them on the fact that we loved their house, wanted it badly, and were ready to give them exactly what they wanted. That's how we locked it up. It's one of my favorite deals.
What should I do when a house I want just hit the market?
See it early, and know what it is worth before you walk in. Here, the house we walked away from told us $850,000 was fair.
If the asking price is already a good number, a clean offer on the seller's terms can cost less than waiting to see who else shows up. Ask for something back, like canceling the open houses.
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Who is Jared Harman?
Jared Harman is a real estate agent and REALTOR® in San Diego, California, licensed under DRE 02193879 with MatchPoint at eXp Realty of California, Inc. He is based in North Park and represents buyers and sellers across San Diego County, including Escondido and the central San Diego neighborhoods. He personally toured more than 800 homes in 2025.