The terms of the offer you submit on your dream home can make all the difference in today’s high-stakes real estate market. To help you understand the process of submitting an offer, we’ve broken down the most important steps. It’s a good idea to meet with a lender to get pre-approved for a mortgage before submitting an offer. A pre-approval will allow you to lock in an interest rate for up to 130 days and demonstrate to the home seller that you are a reliable potential buyer.