A buyer submits an offer $40,000 below asking price.
The seller feels insulted. The listing agent calls it a lowball. The buyer’s agent argues that the offer is justified. Within minutes, everyone is fighting over the number instead of asking the question that actually matters:
What is the market trying to tell us?
In the 2026 real estate market, agents cannot afford to let emotion kill a potentially workable transaction. Inventory, buyer demand, builder incentives, interest rates, days on market, comparable sales, and active competition can change quickly.
The agent who understands those signals has a chance to save the listing and close the deal. The agent who reacts emotionally may lose the only serious buyer the seller has.
Why This Matters
Most real estate agents use the term “lowball” far too casually.
An offer is not automatically a lowball simply because it is below the asking price. If the home is overpriced and the buyer can support the offer with recent comparable sales, active competition, days on market, builder incentives, and current market conditions, the offer may be aggressive—but it is still based on evidence.
That is negotiation.
A true lowball offer has little or no reasonable relationship to the property’s market value.
Professional agents must separate emotion from evidence. That means preparing sellers before an offer arrives, educating buyers before they write an offer, updating pricing throughout the listing, and continuing to negotiate when the first number does not work.
This is where real estate coaching, scripts, and stronger career support matter. Negotiation is not something agents should improvise while an angry seller or stubborn buyer is waiting for an answer.
Key Takeaways
- Not every below-asking offer is a lowball.
- Sellers should be prepared for aggressive offers when the listing is taken.
- Buyer agents should use market data instead of inventing a discount.
- Every active listing deserves an updated CMA every two to four weeks.
- The buyer who submits an offer deserves more respect than buyers who only schedule showings.
- Price is only one of many terms that can create value.
- Convenience, possession, closing costs, contingencies, and inspection terms can save a deal.
- Agents should never let a transaction die without exploring every reasonable option.
Main Points
1. Stop Calling Every Aggressive Offer a Lowball
A property’s asking price is not automatically its market value.
The market value is influenced by recent comparable sales, competing listings, buyer activity, days on market, price reductions, pending sales, and incentives being offered by nearby builders.
When an offer is supported by those factors, it should not be dismissed simply because it is below asking price.
An agent’s responsibility is to examine the evidence and help the client respond strategically.
Calling an offer insulting may make the seller feel validated temporarily, but it does nothing to help the seller move, sell the property, or reach their financial objective.
2. Prepare Sellers Before the First Offer Arrives
Listing agents should discuss the possibility of aggressive offers immediately after the listing agreement is signed.
Sellers need to understand that receiving an offer—even one below their expectations—is better than receiving no offer at all.
The goal is not to convince sellers to accept every offer. The goal is to prevent them from becoming so surprised or offended that they refuse to negotiate.
Set the expectation that an initial offer is a starting point.
Explain that the 2026 market may produce different types of offers and that every legitimate offer deserves a professional response.
When sellers are prepared in advance, they are less likely to direct their frustration toward the listing agent or make an emotional decision that damages the transaction.
3. Prepare the Other Agent for an Aggressive Offer
Buyer agents should not send an aggressive offer without speaking to the listing agent first.
Call the listing agent. Explain that the offer may initially appear low but that the buyer is serious and willing to negotiate.
That conversation allows the listing agent to prepare the seller instead of surprising them with a number they were not expecting.
Real estate negotiation requires both skill and psychology. A cold offer arriving without context can immediately create defensiveness.
A professional conversation can keep both sides engaged long enough to find common ground.
4. Update the CMA Throughout the Listing
The market does not stop changing after the listing agreement is signed.
New properties enter the market. Homes go pending. Sellers reduce their prices. Builders introduce incentives. Interest rates and buyer behavior change.
An excellent CMA prepared at the beginning of the listing is not enough.
Every active listing should receive a fresh comparative market analysis approximately every two to four weeks. Ask this question:
If we listed this property today as a brand-new listing, where would we price it?
The answer may remain the same. It may also reveal that the property needs a price adjustment, new photography, a rewritten description, stronger marketing, or a complete listing reset.
A listing that looked competitive 30 days ago may now look stale or overpriced.
5. Respect the Buyer Who Actually Submitted an Offer
The buyer who submits an offer is often the only buyer actively trying to purchase the home.
Other buyers may have scheduled showings, forced the seller to clean the property, made the seller leave for an hour, and then disappeared without feedback.
The buyer who wrote an offer gave the seller something valuable: a place to begin negotiating.
Your first offer may be your best offer. Sometimes it may be your only offer.
The longer a listing remains on the market, the more buyers begin questioning why it has not sold. That can weaken the seller’s position and reduce the property’s perceived value.
Treat every legitimate offer seriously, even when the opening price is not what the seller expected.
6. Ask What Else Matters to the Seller
Price is rarely the only issue in a real estate transaction.
Before writing, rejecting, or countering an offer, agents should communicate with each other and identify the seller’s other priorities.
Does the seller need a leaseback?
Do they need a specific possession date?
Would they accept a lower price if the buyer purchased the home as-is?
Would a larger earnest money deposit increase confidence?
Could the buyer adjust the inspection, closing-cost request, home-sale contingency, or closing timeline?
Many sellers value convenience and certainty more than agents realize. Some may accept less money to avoid moving twice, completing repairs, or managing a complicated transaction.
The best offer is not always the offer with the highest price. It may be the offer that creates the least disruption.
7. Great Buyer’s Agents Do Not Guess
A professional buyer’s agent does not choose an offer price simply because the buyer wants a bargain.
Before recommending a price, study:
- Recent comparable sales
- Average days on market
- List-to-sale-price ratios
- Current active competition
- Recent pending sales
- Nearby builder incentives
- The condition and location of the property
Then explain the data to the buyer.
The objective is not to “steal” every house. The objective is to create an offer the seller is at least willing to counter.
When offering below asking price, include the comparable sales or market evidence that supports the buyer’s position. The listing agent may need that information to explain the offer to the seller.
8. Stop Promising Buyers Unrealistic Discounts
Agents create problems when they build their value proposition around getting buyers a massive percentage below asking price.
Eventually, those buyers will find a properly priced home they want. They will then expect the agent to deliver the unrealistic discount that was promised.
When the seller refuses, the buyer may blame the agent.
Do not train buyers to believe every property can be purchased at a dramatic discount. Educate them on what the market supports.
Buyers who insist on submitting unsupported lowball offers to every seller can drain an agent’s time, motivation, and confidence.
Serious real estate agents must protect their careers by deciding who they are—and are not—willing to represent.
9. Never Let a Deal Die in Your Court
When the price does not work, examine the rest of the contract.
Possible negotiation points include:
- Leaseback arrangements
- Possession dates
- Closing-cost contributions
- Interest-rate buydowns
- Inspection terms
- As-is purchases
- Home-sale contingencies
- Earnest money deposits
- Repair requests
- Closing timelines
Great negotiators understand that value can be created in multiple ways.
Your job is not to win every individual point. Your job is to help the buyer and seller accomplish their larger goals.
Keep communicating. Ask better questions. Explore different terms. Look for common ground before allowing the transaction to fall apart.
Bottom Line
The 2026 market will punish agents who react emotionally, rely on outdated pricing, or refuse to negotiate beyond the first number.
An aggressive offer is not automatically an insult. It may be a market signal, a negotiation starting point, or the seller’s only realistic opportunity to close.
Listing agents must prepare sellers, refresh their CMAs, and treat serious buyers with respect. Buyer agents must support their recommendations with evidence and stop promising unrealistic discounts.
Most importantly, never let a deal die in your court.
Agents who want better negotiation scripts, stronger listing skills, and a more intentional career path should explore Premier Coaching and the Libertas group at eXp Realty.
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⚠️ Opinions are my own and not the views of eXp Realty.
