Calgary Answers · Selling · Offers

What Is a Lowball Offerand how do I respond?

Counter it. Almost always. An offer you find insulting is still a buyer in the room, and there may not be another one this week.

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What actually counts as a lowball

Not simply an offer below asking — most accepted offers are. A lowball is materially below what comparable sales support. The measure is the comparables, not your list price and not what you hoped for.

The distinction decides which conversation you are having. If the offer sits close to what similar homes actually sold for, the problem may be your list price rather than the buyer. Where the number comes from →

How to respond

  1. Read the whole offer before reacting to the price. A low number with a large deposit, no conditions and a possession date that suits you is a different proposition from the same number carrying financing, inspection and sale-of-home conditions. The four things beyond price →
  2. Counter, rather than reject. A rejection ends the conversation. A counter — even close to list — keeps it alive and shows you what you are dealing with. Genuine buyers come up; bargain hunters disappear, and you have lost a day.
  3. Do not explain your reasoning. Explaining why you need a certain number tells the other side about your timeline and motivation. Counter with a number and a date.
  4. Ask what is behind it. Sometimes the buyer knows something — a comparable you have not seen, unpermitted work, something their agent spotted. Worth hearing even if the offer goes nowhere.

Rejecting a lowball outright and accepting one because it is the only offer you have seen are the same mistake: treating one buyer as the whole market.

When lowballs are data

One low offer is one buyer’s opinion. Three in a month is the market, and holding firm does not change that. Offers clustered well under your price, alongside showings that are not converting, is the clearest read you will get that the price needs a decision. Reduce or relist →

The reverse matters too: an early low offer on a well-priced home is usually a buyer trying their luck. Counter firmly and carry on.