An offer decision log should record when each proposal arrived, whether it is written, the price, deposit, settlement, conditions, inclusions, expiry, unanswered questions and the seller's next instruction. It is an organisational record, not a contract or acceptance. Keep buyer information limited, secure and separate from notes that do not need to identify the person.
Understand what the log is and is not
An offer log gives the seller one consistent place to compare changing proposals. It can reduce confusion when prices, conditions and settlement terms move across phone calls, emails and contract versions. The log should describe what has been received and what still needs confirmation. It does not create an offer, accept one, vary the contract or establish whether a proposal is binding. Those questions depend on the actual documents and advice from the seller's conveyancer or lawyer.
Label the document clearly as an organisational aid and date every update. Avoid headings such as accepted, agreed or final unless the seller's legal adviser confirms that the term is appropriate for the transaction stage. Safer workflow labels include received, clarification requested, revised proposal received, with conveyancer, seller instruction pending and contract status to be confirmed. Precise language helps the seller distinguish active discussion from the formal contract process.
Create one neutral record for every proposal
Give each offer a reference number and record the date and time, channel, property, buyer representative where necessary, written or verbal status, proposed price and the version of any document supplied. Then capture deposit, settlement period, finance, building or pest inspection, sale-of-property dependency, inclusions, exclusions and any expiry stated in the proposal. Use the buyer's own wording or attach the source document rather than paraphrasing an important condition from memory.
The agent should report offers to the seller in line with current professional and underquoting obligations, while the log helps preserve the sequence. If a price or condition is revised, add a new version instead of overwriting the earlier entry. That history lets the seller see what changed and reduces the chance that one attractive number becomes detached from a less favourable term. It also supports a clean handover to the conveyancer when legal review is required.
Record questions before recording a judgement
A useful log contains an open-questions column. Examples include whether finance relates to this property, the exact date in a condition, the status of a buyer's own sale, which fixtures are requested, whether the proposed settlement works for the seller and which contract version the buyer signed. The agent can gather factual clarification, but legal interpretation belongs with the conveyancer. Do not mark a condition safe, standard or low risk simply because it is familiar.
Only after the gaps are visible should the seller note practical fit. A proposal can be tested against the seller's stated priorities: price, timing, certainty, flexibility, inclusions and the cost of delay. The log should not apply a universal scoring formula because the significance of a term is property and seller specific. A modestly lower price may or may not be preferable once the whole proposal is understood; the record should make that choice deliberate.
Keep instructions separate from acceptance language
Provide a field for the seller's next instruction, such as seek clarification, request a revised written proposal, send to conveyancer, continue marketing or arrange a discussion. Do not include pre-written phrases that could be mistaken for accepting, rejecting or countering an offer. The agent and seller should follow the transaction's approved communication and signing process. If there is uncertainty about what a message may do legally, pause and obtain advice before sending it.
Where more than one registered owner is involved, identify who has authority to give instructions and how joint decisions will be confirmed. An informal family spokesperson should not be assumed to have legal authority. The log can show requested approval and received approval without deciding ownership rights. Keep the decision path clear enough that everyone can see which instruction was current at each time and which person confirmed it.
Minimise and secure buyer information
The seller generally needs the proposal's substance, not a collection of unnecessary buyer details. Use a reference number where possible and store contact information in the agency's approved system rather than copying it into multiple spreadsheets or emails. Do not record speculative notes about a buyer's family, health, ethnicity or motivation. Financial evidence should be handled through the agency's privacy and security procedures and shared only where authorised and relevant.
Limit access to the people involved in the sale, use controlled file permissions and avoid sending an unprotected master log through group messages. When the campaign ends, follow the agency's record-retention and disposal process rather than keeping personal copies. The Australian Privacy Principles provide a useful privacy-by-design baseline; whether particular obligations apply to an entity is a compliance question, not something this page determines.
Close the record with the final documented status
When negotiations finish, note the final instruction, document version and status confirmed through the proper process. Do not describe the property as sold merely because the seller verbally preferred an offer. Keep interest, offer, accepted proposal, signed contract, unconditional contract and settlement distinct. The agent and conveyancer should confirm which status can be communicated publicly and what advertising updates are required after a relevant offer is rejected or the price position changes.
Retain the log as a factual chronology, not a retrospective argument about which buyer was best. A clean record can help the seller understand why a decision was made and prepare for the next transaction stage. It cannot prevent a buyer default, assure finance or replace legal advice. Its value is simpler: the terms, questions and instructions remain visible while negotiations move quickly.
Questions sellers ask
Can an offer log be used to accept a property offer?
No. Treat it as an organisational record only. Follow the approved contract and communication process, and ask the seller's conveyancer about legal effect or acceptance wording.
Should verbal offers be recorded?
They can be logged accurately as verbal and unconfirmed, with the date, time and key points. Do not present them as equivalent to a written or signed proposal.
What happens when a buyer revises an offer?
Create a new dated version, preserve the earlier proposal and identify every changed term. This avoids comparing a new price with conditions taken from an old version.
How much buyer information should the seller's log contain?
Only what is necessary to understand and manage the proposal. Use a reference number, keep contact and financial records in approved systems and restrict access.
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