How Should You Respond When a Buyer Makes a Low Offer Days After You List Your Home?

It’s difficult to imagine how you’ll feel about an offer until you’ve actually listed your home for sale. But it’s worth thinking through before you find yourself in the moment.

You’ve listed your home. Within hours, you see that buyers are saving the listing online. Within days, buyers are coming through. Not nearly as many as have saved it, but a few. And your agent is getting “feedback” from their agents that there’s “interest” in your home.

Naturally, you feel like an offer or two will come in quickly.

But then a day goes by. Then another. You start wondering why none of these interested buyers are writing up an offer.

At this point, you’d welcome one offer. But deep down inside, you’re also thinking that once you have it, the other interested buyers might finally get off the fence and make offers as well.

And then an offer comes in!

On some level, you’re still hoping for a full price offer, but you’ve braced yourself for the buyer to come in a little lower…

But this offer is lower than you imagined.

Funny how quickly you can go from feeling like you’ve waited forever for an offer to thinking, “How dare they lowball me, the house has barely been on the market!”

You might be tempted to tell them to take a hike…if you respond at all.

But before you dismiss the buyer for insulting you with their offer, it’s worth considering what it may have taken for them to make that offer.

It Took Guts to Make That Offer

It’s only human to see things from your own perspective as the seller, but try seeing it from the buyer’s side for a moment.

They’re just as aware of how long your house has been on the market as you are. Motivated buyers are watching the market closely. They know what else is available in their price range, and they’re paying attention to how long homes have been listed.
They probably know their offer isn’t going to go over well with you.
There’s a good chance they even went back and forth with their agent about whether to make it at all.
They probably debated whether or not they should just wait and see if you lower the price.
They’re concerned that making this offer will offend you and hurt their chances of ever getting the house.

They could have kept watching the listing like everyone else, hoping you’d eventually lower the price to a point they find reasonable. It’s a silly waiting game many buyers end up playing.

Instead, this buyer decided your home was worth taking that chance.

Don’t Overestimate Their “Wiggle Room”

It’s tempting to assume a buyer who starts low has plenty of room to come up. Maybe they do. But an informed buyer may already have stretched to make an offer they hope you’ll take seriously and won’t find too offensive.

Don’t presume they started far below what they’re willing to pay just so you can “meet in the middle.” The price where the purchase makes sense to them may still be far from your asking price.

That doesn’t mean you should accept it. You can negotiate. Just be appreciative, respectful, and diplomatic, and hopefully you can come to terms you both agree upon.

And Don’t Make Them Regret Trying

It’s easy to feel encouraged by showings, compliments, and online saves. But those buyers haven’t told you how much they’re willing to pay… if anything at all. This one has.

Take an objective look at the offer with your agent. Consider the price alongside the terms, recent sales, competing listings, and the response your home has received so far. If the initial offer doesn’t work for you, you can counter or decline it.

Just try not to turn a disagreement about price into a judgment about the buyer.

The person who made that first offer wanted your home enough to risk hearing no. While everyone else waited to see what would happen, they gave you a chance to make something happen.

It might not have been the number you wanted to hear, but the buyer who put it on the table deserves some appreciation and respect.