A low offer on your Oahu home doesn’t have to end the deal. Counter it the right way, and it can even become your leverage.
An offer comes in on your home, you open it up, and your first thought is, are they even serious? It happens more than you’d think, and how you react matters more than the number itself.
A lowball offer isn’t an insult to be waved off. Handled right, it can work in your favor.
Don’t take it personally, and don’t go silent. The most common reaction to a lowball is to feel insulted and refuse to respond at all, and that’s the one move we tell people never to make. Whatever the offer is, it’s a starting point, not a verdict on your home. Our rule is simple. Counter every single offer, every time. You don’t even do the heavy lifting; just tell us the price and terms you’d be happy with, and we handle the paperwork.
The other side can’t read your mind. A lowball offer is a little like a relationship: the buyer has no idea what you actually want unless you tell them. Going quiet says nothing except that you’re out. Countering keeps the conversation alive and puts your real number on the table, which is the only way anyone gets to yes.
Get curious about why they came in low. Before you react, ask what’s really behind that number. Sometimes a low offer isn’t a game at all. It might genuinely be the most that buyer is pre-approved for, and they love your house enough to try anyway, figuring it doesn’t hurt to ask. We don’t assume; we ask questions, because the reason behind the offer often tells you exactly how to respond.
The worst thing you can do with a lowball offer is nothing.
A lowball can be leverage with other buyers. When another agent calls to ask if we have any offers, we can honestly say yes, we’ve got one, and we’re countering, without ever mentioning it came in low. Suddenly other interested buyers know there’s activity, and that pressure can move them to step up. An offer you’d have been tempted to ignore becomes a tool that works the whole field in your favor.
Keep your ego out of it. When sellers react emotionally, they’re letting ego make the decision, and that’s how good deals fall apart. You hired us to be expert negotiators, and the number one trait of a great one is staying calm. We keep the emotion out and the logic in, because in any negotiation, whoever cares the least tends to win.
So what does a strong counter look like? We start with your goals, take a fresh look at the comps and your neighborhood, and counter from there. Sometimes that’s countering right back at our price, sometimes it’s a mix of price and terms, and sometimes, when a buyer is asking for the moon on repairs or credits, the strongest response is a firm no sent back with a signed cancellation.
And when is an offer not worth entertaining at all? Honestly, never. We’ll counter all day, and we’ve gone back and forth seven or eight times on a single deal and closed it.
If your home’s on the market and the offers coming in have you second-guessing, that’s exactly where a good team earns its keep. Call or text us at 808-799-9596, email us at [email protected], or visit teamlally.com. We’ll help you turn even a lowball into a win.