You’ve received an offer on your home, but the price isn’t quite where you hoped it would be. You may not want to accept less than what your home is worth, but you also don’t want to lose a serious buyer. A counteroffer can help you keep the deal moving while asking for a better price or terms. In this guide, we’ll explain how to make a counteroffer, including how to evaluate the buyer’s offer, decide what to ask for, and know when it may make sense to compromise.
When an offer comes in, a seller generally has three choices: accept it, reject it, or make a counteroffer. Countering often makes the most sense when the offer isn’t quite good enough as written, but there’s enough common ground to keep talking. Jamie McMartin, a Houston-based HomeLight Elite Agent, says she encourages sellers to respond even when the initial offer is disappointing. “I always set the expectation of countering every offer we receive, the good, the bad, and the ugly, because you just never know the motivation behind the person who’s actually submitting the offer,” she says. Over more than 20 years in real estate, she says she has seen deals come together even after an offer initially seemed far too low. Before deciding, look beyond how the offer compares with your asking price. Review recent comparable sales, how long your home has been listed, whether other buyers are showing interest, and how urgently you need to sell. A lower price may also come with stronger financing, fewer contingencies, or a closing timeline that works well for you. In other words, a below-asking offer isn’t automatically a bad offer. Your list price, your home’s market value, and the strength of the buyer’s full offer can all tell you something different.Should you counter the buyer’s offer?
