Buyers: Here’s What Happens When You Write a Lowball Offer

By in Buyers with 0 Comments
Published on April 21, 2023 / Last updated on April 21, 2023

Even though the Tri-Cities market is heating up again, there are always going to be buyers looking for a “deal” on their new home. Maybe they think they can get a sweet deal because of what they’re hearing about real estate in other parts of the country.

So they find a house they like, then they’ll write an offer 10%, 20%, or 25% below the home’s asking price. I’ve had clients do that, and I’ve been the listing agent when it’s been done to sellers I’ve represented.

Guess what happens when a buyer writes a lowball offer like that?

More often than not, the seller gets offended. And I mean so offended that they refuse to work with the buyer AT ALL, even if the buyer later comes up to a more reasonable price.

To the buyer, it’s just a numbers game. But for the seller, selling a house can be full of emotional land mines. When you ask them to part with their home where countless memories have been made for less than what it’s worth, they WILL be insulted.

And be careful about thinking, “the seller can always make a counter offer” when you submit an incredibly low offer. Truth is, many sellers won’t counter at all when they’re offended.

(Photo by Andre Hunter on Unsplash)
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About The Author
Cari McGee

My husband and I came to the Tri-Cities in 1994, and we thought it would be a temporary stop on our way to larger cities. He was a television sports anchor at the time, and we planned to go wherever the "next step up" took us. Twenty-plus years later, we're still here and we've loved every minute of it! We have two children now, and we've found the Tri-Cities area is a wonderful place to raise a family. It's a great place to do outdoorsy things -- I like to hike Badger Mountain or run along the river path. I also love reading ... by a cozy fire in the winter or a beautiful picture window in the summer (with the A/C on!). I've been a licensed Realtor since 2004. I earned my managing broker's license in 2016, which means I can run my own brokerage, or create a team of real estate agents and supervise them, which is exactly what I did when I formed the Cari McGee Real Estate Team in 2018! We have administrative and marketing personnel, as well as additional agents to serve you. I became a director of the Tri-Cities Association of Realtors Board of Directors in 2016, became Secretary/Treasurer of the organization, and was elected to Vice President in 2019. Want to talk about real estate? Click here to schedule a meeting with me!

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