Most real estate agents make the same mistake when an offer comes in below asking price:
They lead with the number.
“We got an offer… but it’s $25,000 under asking.”
The seller immediately gets emotional. The offer feels insulting. The agent starts apologizing. And before anyone has evaluated the actual deal, the negotiation is already falling apart.
That’s exactly backward.
In the 2026 real estate market, the purchase price is only one part of an offer. Strong listing agents know how to present the entire package—including net proceeds, financing strength, concessions, contingencies, closing timeline, possession, rent-back terms, repairs, and certainty of closing.
The question isn’t simply, “What’s the offer price?”
The better question is:
What does the seller actually walk away with, and when?
Why This Matters
The market has changed.
About 46% of home sales are now including seller concessions. At the same time, roughly one in three sellers is cutting their asking price.
That means a full-price offer isn’t automatically the best offer.
A buyer could offer full price while requesting significant closing-cost assistance, repairs, an appraisal contingency, and other concessions.
Another buyer could offer $10,000 less but bring cash, request no repairs, waive certain contingencies, and close quickly.
Which buyer actually produces the better result for the seller?
You won’t know until you look at the whole offer.
This is where skilled real estate agents separate themselves from agents who simply relay information.
Key Takeaways
The offer price is only one variable.
Seller net proceeds matter more than the headline number.
Financing strength creates certainty.
Closing speed can eliminate carrying costs.
Fewer contingencies reduce transaction risk.
Rent-back terms can have significant value to a seller.
Consistent seller communication makes difficult negotiations easier.
Low offers should usually be negotiated—not immediately rejected.
Agents need stronger negotiation and listing skills as the 2026 market becomes more competitive.
Main Points
1. Never Lead With the Offer Price
Imagine telling your seller:
“We got an offer, but it’s $25,000 under asking.”
You’ve already created the problem.
The seller hears “$25,000 under asking” and everything afterward becomes an argument.
Instead, change the sequence.
Tell them:
“We received an offer, and I want to walk you through the entire thing because the number is only one piece. Some of the other terms are genuinely strong.”
You’re not hiding the price.
You’re putting the price into context.
That’s a major difference.
2. Show the Seller Their Net First
Before discussing the emotional headline number, calculate what the seller actually receives.
Create an updated seller net sheet based on the offer.
Then compare that amount with the seller’s other options.
A lower-priced offer with few concessions can sometimes leave the seller with more money than a higher-priced offer filled with credits and repair requests.
Don’t debate price in the abstract.
Show the real dollars.
3. Evaluate Everything Beyond Price
Every listing agent should evaluate the entire offer before deciding whether it’s “good” or “bad.”
Start with earnest money.
A strong earnest-money deposit may indicate a serious buyer.
Next, examine financing.
Is the buyer paying cash?
Are they fully underwritten?
Do they simply have a basic pre-qualification?
Those differences matter because certainty has value.
Then look at the closing timeline.
Can the buyer close quickly?
Can they accommodate the seller’s preferred possession date?
Will the seller avoid another mortgage payment?
Those terms have measurable value.
4. Look Closely at Contingencies
A purchase price can look attractive until you examine the contingencies attached to it.
Financing contingencies.
Appraisal contingencies.
Inspection contingencies.
Home-sale contingencies.
Every contingency creates another opportunity for the transaction to fall apart or be renegotiated.
A slightly lower offer with fewer contingencies may be significantly more attractive than a higher offer carrying multiple exit points.
5. Don’t Ignore Rent-Back and Convenience
Sometimes convenience matters more to the seller than squeezing every possible dollar out of the sale.
A rent-back can allow sellers to remain in their home after closing while preparing for their next move.
That can eliminate storage expenses, temporary housing, double moves, and significant stress.
Real estate agents need to understand what “best terms” means to the individual seller—not what the agent assumes should matter most.
6. Calculate the Cost of Waiting
Rejecting an offer isn’t free.
If the property remains on the market another 60 days, the seller could face additional:
Mortgage payments
Property taxes
Insurance
HOA payments
Utilities
Maintenance costs
Meanwhile, the property’s days on market continue climbing.
And the longer a listing sits, the more buyers may begin wondering what’s wrong with it.
Waiting for a theoretically better offer can become expensive.
7. Stop Automatically Rejecting Low Offers
Listing agents need to stop killing negotiations because they don’t like the first number.
Someone made an offer because they are trying to buy the house.
Work with them.
Tim and Julie’s policy when actively selling real estate was simple:
Counter everything.
Don’t let the deal die on your side of the negotiation.
Even an aggressive opening offer gives you something to work with.
8. Keep Sellers Educated Before the Offer Arrives
Offer presentation doesn’t begin when the offer hits your inbox.
It begins during the listing.
Sellers should already understand what’s happening in their market.
They should know about showing activity, competing listings, recent sales, builder incentives, price reductions, concessions, and changing buyer behavior.
That’s why consistent seller communication matters.
When the seller has been coached throughout the listing, a difficult offer doesn’t arrive as a surprise.
It arrives in context.
9. Present the Net Sheet—and Stop Talking
Agents frequently create more drama than the transaction requires.
Send the seller the offer.
Send the net sheet.
Clearly explain the terms.
Then let the seller process the information.
Don’t inject your anxiety into their decision.
Sometimes the seller will simply look at the numbers and say:
“Okay. I’ll take it.”
Your job isn’t to manufacture emotion.
Your job is to help your client make an informed decision.
10. Learn the Skills Other Agents Ignore
Advanced listing agents also understand opportunities that less-skilled agents miss.
One example discussed in this episode is assumable financing.
If an existing mortgage can legally be assumed by a qualified buyer with the required lender approval and release, attractive existing loan terms could potentially make a listing more appealing.
That means serious listing agents need to understand more than lead generation and listing presentations.
They need transaction skills.
Negotiation skills.
Financing knowledge.
Seller communication skills.
And creative problem-solving skills.
That’s where real estate coaching matters.
The agents who continue winning in a difficult 2026 market won’t necessarily be the agents with the biggest social media following.
They’ll be the agents who know how to solve problems and keep transactions together.
Bottom Line
Stop judging an offer by the purchase price alone.
Present the whole offer.
Show the seller the earnest money.
Explain the financing strength.
Evaluate the contingencies.
Look at the closing timeline.
Calculate the carrying costs.
Consider the rent-back.
Show the seller their actual net.
Then give them one simple framework:
What do you actually walk away with, and when?
Master that skill and you’ll save transactions other agents would have killed before they ever had a chance to close.
For agents who want deeper skill-based training, Premier Coaching takes these concepts significantly further. And for serious agents evaluating their brokerage and career path, Libertas at eXp Realty offers another avenue to build around training, skills, listings, and long-term career growth.
Don’t wait for the market to become easier.
Become better at the market you’re in.
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512-758-0206
⚠️ Opinions are my own and not the views of eXp Realty.
