Curious how others handle this in practice. If you’re interested in a property and the numbers only work at a certain price, but the listing agent tells you upfront that the seller won’t accept anything that low, do you: • Still submit a formal written offer anyway? • Or hold off and wait for pricing/motivation to change? On one hand, a written offer forces a real conversation with the seller and creates a paper trail. On the other, it can strain relationships or feel like wasted effort if rejection is guaranteed. Would love to hear how experienced investors and agents approach this, especially in longer DOM situations.

@James McGovern early this year I sent in an offer at $480k and got rejected (listed at $580k). I just found out it was sold at $475k.

Depends on too many variables. How low is too low? I've had sellers get very angry when I offered too low (in their opinion). Others just take the deal if they're tired of dealing with the property. So it depends on: 1) The Seller and their motivation(s) 2) The Real Estate agent, 3) The property itself....how desirable is it?, 4) Days on Market, 5) You, the buyer - how badly do you want it? Do you see potential no one else sees? But ultimately, it's YOUR MONEY...you offer what ever you feel is going to work FOR YOU. If one Realtor won't do it, find another...or do it yourself...!

I would still write the offer. You can do it quickly and it does force the conversation. I have always found that once pen gets to paper, you get more from the seller and their agent even if both parties are still too far apart to make a deal happen.

@Ying Tang The longer the DOM the better chance of having a real conversation with the seller. It’s all about motivation of the seller. Our number is our number. If the deal doesn’t work then it doesn’t work. This is why list prices are meaningless to an investor. It only matters whether the investment is worth it. Sometimes we can find some middle ground with a low offer, but it always goes back to seller motivation and investor interest. Some agents don’t want to make very low ball offers. Sometimes it helps if agents start the conversation as the listing agent generally knows where the seller stands on things, but time changes peoples perspectives as well. Estate sales v owner occupied are two very different motivations. Add in distress and you have a chance at making a deal.

Right now, mainly Austin contracts and the TREC is pretty solid for that. However, I do this in almost every state I am in. Our offer represents a reduced commission and we verbalize that to the seller. Our offer doesn't state they need to change their agreement with the listing agent--- I cannot force that. If they agree to my offer, it's up to them how they get it done. Re-negotiate with their agent, offer seller credits, but our number does not increase to get their agent paid from our side. My offer usually accounts for small lawyer fee in case some states make it more difficult and I need to engage in one. I would just say in every contract we've closed, they've re-negotiated with their agent from what I have been told or know, of and can see in the CDs. Quite a few have gotten their commission go from 2.5% to 3% or half percent higher than originally stated, but obviously not 5-6% as they would without those caveats. All sides are incentivized usually to get a deal done.

It's the listings agents job to look out for the best interest of the seller. They also got the job, because they promised to sell it for a good price, asking them to write a low offer will mike them bite their own tonge off. Your agents job is to get you the best deal, that also means that the listing agent can present it without looking like a fool, because they did not write it. A very common misconception is that if you don't have a buyers agent the seller saves comission. That is not how it works. If the buyer is unrepresented the listing agents gets both ends of the comission, no benefit to the seller. And the seller is probably not happy that the listing agent makes out like a bandit, while the seller is dropping their pants. Fine a good buyers agent and make the offer!

Cars , equipment , houses , anything I buy on the used market I always bid low . Its my money , they need to sell , I dont need to buy . I dont care if I insult someone . You dont like my offer , dont accept it , you can counter and if it works for me , we may do business . If my agent ever told me my offer was too low and they wouldnt submit it , they are done on the spot .

There are MANY reasons to submit offers that are likely to get rejected. I'll give one fairly common scenario. An estate selling the property of their deceased loved one. Its COMMON in this type of circumstance that there are multiple decision makers. Even if only 1 or 2 people are executor/executrix they will often consult other heirs on EVERY decision! Many times these people have different personalities, interests, and agendas. Also, many times there are somewhat strained relationships between these people. So, when you submit each offer it FORCES them to talk. You can keep submitting offers over and OVER especially if they counter. Each time it forces discussion between those people eventually wearing them down. As an agent, I have seem low offers get negotiated through many iterations and VERY little change/movement until the sellers side conceded a LOT and the deal comes together. This is but one scenario where submitting low offers can have a purpose. There is potentially a lot of psychology to negotiation especially if you can gain any insight into the seller's motivations, interests and dynamic.

Yes, absolutley. I did something similar for 6 or 7 years before I got licensed: I had an experienced agent, but did not want to burn him out, so I deliberatly avoided consuming his time for low value tasks. I did my own drive-by's, showings only if i already liked everything else and that was more an inspection than a showing (to assess if my rehab budget was adequate), then I would send his assistant a standadized block of terms for the offer, she's submit and I'd only talk to the agent when it came to counter offers or when things got complicated. The reason I did that was because the guy has a TON of experience as an agent and as a builder, that I did not have back in 2008. So I only pulled him in, when I needed his experience. My offers were typically between 10 and 20% below list price - that was also a different time. The biggest rub were showings for sure, finding time that worked for both of us. And that was ultimatly the reason I got licensed eventually, so I could let myself in. I have always seen it this way: the biggest asset an agent can bring is street experience. 90% of what agents do is relativley easy, it's when things go sideways you need someone with experience. (I work with luxury clients and most of my energy is spent dealing with their neuroses, the actual work is the easy part). I think the DIY approach can be dangerous, I think one should either work with a rockstar agent, or just get licensed so you know what the heck you are doing and also have a broker to ask. What State are you in that you can stipulate comission in an offer? In Wisconsin the listing agreement (between the brokerage and the seller) stipulates total comission, say 6%. An offer, regardless what buyer and seller agree, can not alter what the contract between seller and broker stipulates, that is a seperate contract). This is one of the biggest myths out there that you can save money by working with the listing agent, they just keep the full 6%. And sellers don't like taking a bath financially and their agent making out double.

Updated 14 days ago on 12/21/2025. Most recent reply

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Ying TangPoster

Investor Mindset

Would you still submit an offer if the listing agent says it’s “too low”?

Ying TangPoster

Posted December 17, 2025 17:01

Curious how others handle this in practice.

If you’re interested in a property and the numbers only work at a certain price, but the listing agent tells you upfront that the seller won’t accept anything that low, do you:

Still submit a formal written offer anyway?
Or hold off and wait for pricing/motivation to change?

On one hand, a written offer forces a real conversation with the seller and creates a paper trail. On the other, it can strain relationships or feel like wasted effort if rejection is guaranteed.

Would love to hear how experienced investors and agents approach this, especially in longer DOM situations.

Phoenix, Arizona

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Denise Supplee

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Willow Grove, PA

Denise Supplee

Realtor
Willow Grove, PA

Replied December 17, 2025 18:33

Hi @Ying Tang, If the deal only works at your number, that’s the only number that matters. Many experienced investors still submit a clean, professional offer to anchor value and create a paper trail, especially on longer DOM listings. If it’s truly dead on arrival, they note their price, stay polite, and move on, often those are the first calls they get when motivation changes.

Denise Supplee

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