How You Present Yourself Is Part of Your Offer
I had a buyer tour a property recently. From the moment he got out of the car, he was building a case. The driveway wasn’t right. The architecture wasn’t right. The finishes weren’t right. He complimented the entry ceiling height and the kitchen layout…and that was about it.
On the way out, he gave me a verbal offer $100,000 below asking. I countered. He texted me asking what the seller’s bottom line was. I gave him a number I knew my client could work with; not the floor, but close enough to get a deal done if he was serious. I kept it higher than I might have otherwise, as I had a strong hunch this party would counter any and all offers by the seller.
He went quiet.
A few weeks later he called back. By then the property had just gone under contract with another buyer (within a few hours). He was upset. He blamed me for not reaching out sooner. He suggested I was wrong not to notify him.
Here’s what I told him…and what a lot of buyers never hear from their agent.
Strategy and communication are part of your offer.
Not legally, not on paper, but in every practical sense that matters.
This buyer was negotiating from the moment he stepped out of the car. Every comment he made was visible. I knew what he was doing: building a paper trail of defects to justify a low number, and likely to keep building that case through inspection if he got under contract. My client – the seller – had already had one buyer back out. I wasn’t eager to introduce another one with a similar playbook.
When a second buyer came in, represented by his own agent, enthusiastic about the property, straightforward about his concerns, the contrast was immediate. That buyer’s agent called and told me his client liked the place, had a few things to work through, and wanted to talk terms. That’s a conversation I can have.
The first buyer wasn’t necessarily wrong to negotiate hard. But he telegraphed his entire strategy before he wrote a single number down. In a transaction where the seller’s agent is also the buyer’s point of contact – which happens more than people realize – how you present yourself and your offer matters. It can be the difference between getting the house and getting a phone call that it’s already gone.
Seller’s agents don’t just want a good number on the offer, they want to feel the buyer is working in good faith and that there’s a good chance the sale will work out.
If you’re buying in this market, being a serious buyer isn’t just about your financing. It’s about how you show up.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, but they are not legally pending and the seller may pursue other conversations along the way. Also, the written responses after the verbal offer may not match the verbal offer, so you'll want to read carefully.
Yes, but it may not be a good idea.