Offer Too Low? Here’s How to Respond Without Losing the Deal

Seller’s Bottom Line Math:
If your seller bought at the peak and is upside down, your job is to prove value—not defend an asking price. Robert and the crew dissected Gabe’s pricing vs. real-time market feedback and showed how to reverse-engineer price + premium to still win.

Creative Options You Can Use:

• Seller carrybacks

• Novations

• Targeting investor flips

• Marketing to corporate buyers

• Attending buyer seminars at local banks

• “All I care about is getting you into contract. No contract, no commission.”
• “You don’t want to do it? Don’t do it. Next house, next buyer, next agent.”
• “Are you telling me this house isn’t worth what I say it’s worth? Great—show me the number you do believe.”

 

Coaching Highlights

1. Don’t Anchor Your Deal to a Bad First Offer

If your first offer is weak, don’t rush to counter. Take a breath and decide what message you want to send.

“Sometimes no counter is better than a bad counter.”

Holding back a counter offer can sometimes position the seller more strongly, especially if more interest is still building. Set a new offer deadline. Create urgency. Don’t let the first weak offer define the conversation.

Ask the seller: do we want to extend the event? Reposition? Wait? Or let the offer sit to gather feedback? If there’s activity, use that to your advantage rather than chasing the first number thrown out.

2. Objections = Feedback.

Several agents shared how they handled soft buyer objections like “we’re just looking” or “it needs work.” These objections aren’t an excuse for you to back off of doing your job as a listing agent.

“If they showed up, they’re not just looking. That’s interest. The objection just tells you what’s holding them back.”

We discussed:

• How to explain price vs. value (especially in a buyer’s market)

• What to say when buyers question the Buyer Premium

• Cosmetic pushback (“the floors need replacing”)

Instead of defending the house, ask smarter questions and keep the conversation moving towards a deal that works.

 Buyers often talk themselves into the solution if you guide them with the right tone and solution: affordability, monthly payments, and net value, especially when buyer premiums can give the flexibility seller concessions can’t. 

3. Listing Prep Doesn’t Mean Overspending

You don’t need to go overboard on prep. This part of the conversation was blunt—and incredibly helpful. Agents shared how they prepared listings that still felt high-end without major spend:

• Start with cleaning. Before you stage or photograph, get it smelling fresh.

  “If it doesn’t smell clean, it’s not clean to most buyers.”

• Lighting and paint beat flooring. Buyers are more sensitive to brightness and neutral colors than to old carpet—unless it’s damaged or dirty.

• Walk the house before you list it. One story involved a raccoon infestation in a guest room that wasn’t discovered until after it hit the MLS.

• Ask for feedback from showings before doing upgrades. Let buyers tell you what’s stopping them—then address that. Don’t guess.

“You don’t need to rip out the carpet. You need buyers to say, ‘I can live here.’ That’s different than perfection.”

Don’t forget – you can use the buyer premium as a way to say “We’ll get that work done for you before you move in.”