Is This Offer Insulting? Or Should It Be A Red Flag To The Seller?
ByOur house was listed at 225K. We dropped the price to 209K to improve traffic, we live in a rural area that is not optimal for moving real estate quickly. Anyway in the meantime we did $17K worth of improvements to the home, which is 12 years old. We contracted a new aeration septic system, RV dump, all new stainless steel appliances, and a new heat pump and 80 gallon water heater.Yesterday our realtor calls us and shows the house for the second time. the couple loved the house and made an offer, for 60K off our asking price, 80K off the original price AND is asking me to leave furniture items! (Chairs, handmade bookcases, zero radius mower, etc). I dont want to run off the first offer we get, would like to negotiate with this couple, but I cant help feeling that we are trying to be taken advantage of…. Advice? We are to counter offer by Saturday afternoon.
6 Comments
October 21st, 2009 at 12:33 pm
You shouldn’t look at as a personal insult. It’s business for both of you, and there’s a lot of money at stake.
When someone starts *that* far off your asking price, they want to see how willing your are to deal. Sometimes, people accept lowball offers. It just depends on their personal situation.
If I were you, I wouldn’t counter that offer. If they’re interested, they’ll make a new offer of their own.
October 21st, 2009 at 4:51 pm
It is a buyers’ market out there. People know they can negotiate downwards, but this prospective buyer sounds like he wants you to give him the property. I would try and negotiate with them and if you are able to come up with a price that you do not feel you are getting screwed, take it.
October 21st, 2009 at 11:07 pm
Yeah, they are nuts. In today’s market though people are trying to make deals. People out there are desperate to get out of mortgage payments and there are lots of opportunist out there looking. Laugh it off and make a counter offer. Don’t really expect them to come through though.
October 22nd, 2009 at 5:56 am
uh…you sound like you are dealing with a lo-ball artist.
Offer back the least you will take and let the chips fall . Odds are they go back into the woodwork.
October 22nd, 2009 at 7:27 am
Everyone will try to get as much as they can for as little as possible. Make a counter-offer and go from there.
October 22nd, 2009 at 9:46 am
I would chuckle, thank them for their offer and say I had to get back to trying to sell my house