Strategies for my offer to win?

[Karelyn Cruz]

Any recommendations on what would make an offer more attractive in this competitive DC market? 

For example, I just "lost" a house because I used a credit union and a closing of 30 days (the winning offer used 3 weeks). Is using a credit union such a big deal? I know they can be slower but they offered me a much better deal than the other banks. Should I use a local bank instead (even when the rate is higher)? 

Any other "tricks" or suggestions that I can use on my offer? My realtor mentioned that some people hire an inspector before putting an offer so they can waive the inspection. We are first time home buyers and we will be living in the house so I dont think we want to waive the inspection and/or the appraisal. We also did escalation to a certain ceiling on our offers.

Anyhow, I'll be interested to hear any other ideas or suggestions to make an offer more competitive in the DC area.

Thanks!