Don’t Get Discouraged or Insulted by so-called “Lowball” Offers.

While a low offer is disappointing or some sellers may think – even insulting, it helps to have some perspective on it. Considering that we are still in a buyers’ market, I believe that any offer today is better than NO offer at all. Don’t focus on the numbers! Someone likes your house enough to put an offer in on it. Consider it is a starting point for negotiations. Some buyers view offering much less than asking price as standard procedure. They are obviously trying to buy at the lowest price possible, just as sellers want the highest price possible. Don’t automatically assume that you are not dealing with a serious buyer if the initial offer is low. Make a counter-offer; it’s usually not a waste of time. Include sales that validate your price. This can be an effective start to negotiations. The buyer may be basing his offer on outdated data. Bottom line, don’t let emotions rule your response to a lowball offer. Instead of rejecting it out of hand, try to find out something about the buyers and why they offered what they did. It doesn’t cost you anything to counter offer and remember the old adage “Nothing ventured, nothing gained”. You may just end up selling your property!

Contact Donna at donna@donnaforest.com for more good advice about selling in this market.