Property buyers push back on agent games and 'offers over' listings
Home hunters navigating high interest rates are facing frustrating tactics, such as vendors rejecting offers well above advertised guide prices. Market participants report sellers holding unrealistic expectations are increasingly forced to accept lower bids after months on the market.
Sources & coverage
AI-assisted summary of the sources above. General information only, not financial advice.
What Reddit is saying: Property forum members advise treating property strictly as business, noting polite lowball offers often succeed when homes sit unsold.
Top comments on r/AusPropertyChat
It means the owners had even more unrealistic expectations earlier in the sale campaign and the ‘offers above’ price is the REAs estimate of its current value , but the owner would only agree to advertising that price as an ‘offers over’. In this market the likely trajectory is that in 3 months they’ll be happy to take 5% below that number . This exact scenario has been playing out all around inner west brisbane. Not all listings display this pattern but the ones that do, tend to follow it closely
"Insulting the vendor" is a fake concept that agents made up to try and scare buyers into making higher offers. This isn't personal - they are selling a house, and you are offering to buy it. It's not a reflection on them as people, or you as a person.
5% under is quite polite as far as I'm concerned. Agents are slow, lazy, unskilled in negotiation or all of the above. They seem to forget that their job is to get a deal done. Too many of them seem to take offers that are too low/not easy as a personal insult, rather than an opportunity to start negotiations. Can't help you with this particular situation specifically, but just remember it's business. You don't need to become best friends with the agent or please the vendor. In this market they should be grateful for any offer. OP don't think of things on such a personal level and be a bit…
From Reddit, ranked by upvotes. These are the views of the people who wrote them, not OzGhosty's.
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