Special offer

Don't Always Assume a Sacramento Buyer Will Receive a Counter Offer

By
Real Estate Agent with Elizabeth Anne Weintraub, Broker DRE #00697006

I often tell my sellers that regardless of how poorly an offer is written, no matter how low the offered sales price and no matter what preconceived ideas they might have about the buyers based on the way the offer was presented or certain elements of the purchase offer, the seller should always issue a counter offer. Because unless a seller reinforces a position, the buyers might not understand -- heaven knows their buyer's agent is probably tired of explaining it.

There are buyers who spot a home listed for sale in Sacramento and think to themselves that based on what Uncle Joe had to say, and their neighbor down the street who hasn't bought a home in 20 years, and the headline that they scanned in the newspaper online but were too distracted by the opportunity to click on naked pictures of Miley Cyrus to read the rest of the story, well, that they can throw out any ol' kind of offer they want because the seller will always issue a counter offer.

Sadly, that's not true. A seller will not always issue a counter offer. Read more in my personal blog today about Not Every Sacramento Home Seller Wants to Deal With a Counter Offer.

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Elizabeth Weintraub is co-partner of Weintraub & Wallace Team of Top Producing Realtors, an author, home buying expert at The Balance, a Land Park resident, and a veteran real estate agent who specializes in older, classic homes in Land Park, Curtis Park, Midtown, Carmichael and East Sacramento, as well as tract homes in Elk Grove, Natomas, Roseville and Lincoln. Call Elizabeth Weintraub at 916.233.6759. Put our combined 80 years of real estate experience to work for you. Broker-Associate at RE/MAX Gold. DRE License # 00697006.

Photo: Unless otherwise noted in this blog, the photo is copyrighted by Big Stock Photo and used with permission.The views expressed herein are Weintraub's personal views and do not reflect the views of RE/MAX Gold. Disclaimer: If this post contains a listing, information is deemed reliable as of the date it was written. After that date, the listing may be sold, listed by another brokerage, canceled, pending or taken temporarily off the market, and the price could change without notice; it could blow up, explode or vanish. To find out the present status of any listing, please go to elizabethweintraub.com.

Comments (8)

Pat Champion
John Roberts Realty - Eustis, FL
Call the "CHAMPION" for all your real estate needs

This is so true you never know how a seller will react it is up to them on how to proceed. Thanks for sharing have a good day.

Feb 24, 2014 01:27 AM
Dan Hopper
Dan Hopper - Gold Way RE - Westminster, CO
Colorado Broker / Referral Services

Yes, negotiations is a process.  Sellers should know that offers and counter offers is part of the process.  I think that both sides of the fence, do not like to negotiate, and that is why they do need guidance, you and I.  I agree with you that under NO circumstances, should a selling broker send in an offer without speaking with the listing broker, first!!  Selling broker may just find out some information that could help the offer writing process.

Feb 24, 2014 01:32 AM
Chris Ann Cleland
Long and Foster Real Estate - Gainesville, VA
Associate Broker, Bristow, VA

When you make an offer in a competitive market, it needs to be your best for exactly the reasons you outline.  Sellers don't want to hassle with countering if they have an offer in their hand that hits their happy spot.

Feb 24, 2014 11:34 AM
James Dray
Fathom Realty - Bentonville, AR

An offer is an offer and here in my neck of the woods it has become often a full price one.  good times

Feb 24, 2014 06:35 PM
Gabe Sanders
Real Estate of Florida specializing in Martin County Residential Homes, Condos and Land Sales - Stuart, FL
Stuart Florida Real Estate

Occasionally we get an offer that is so fraught with difficult contingencies and poor assumptions that we don't do counter offers.

Feb 24, 2014 08:30 PM
John Juarez
The Medford Real Estate Team - Fremont, CA
ePRO, SRES, GRI, PMN

 

Hi, Elizabeth,

 

In our market, multiple offers are the order of the day. I advise my sellers to review all offers, with my guidance, and counter those that make sense. Not all deserve a counter offer. Buyers – and their agents – need to understand the market that they are in.

Feb 25, 2014 02:40 AM
Elizabeth Weintraub Sacramento Broker
Elizabeth Anne Weintraub, Broker - Sacramento, CA
Put 40 years of experience to work for you

Hi Pat: Well, I kinda can tell the sellers who don't want to issue a counter. Not every seller, believe it or not, is set on squeezing every dime out of the price.

Hi Dan: I am always amazed at the offers that show up out of the blue. It makes agents wonder if the buyer or buyer's agents even care enough that they don't make a phone call or other inquiry first.

Hi Chris Ann: That's what happened in a transaction, the seller got the offer she wanted and the ones that were for less were ignored.

Hi James: If there are multiple offers, the likelihood of buying the home for less than market value is about .01% out of 99.99%.

Hi Gabe: I hear you. There are some offers that sellers don't want to accept because they worry about what will happen later based on the the way it's written now.

Hi John: When it rains, it pours, doesn't it?

 

Feb 25, 2014 04:05 AM
Conrad Allen
Re/Max Professional Associates - Webster, MA
Webster, Ma, Realtor

To assume is to make an ass of u and me Elizabeth.

Feb 25, 2014 06:56 AM