Ignoring Your First Offer

Yes, your first offer is usually your best offer, and this holds true far more often than sellers want to accept. When your home first hits the market, it’s fresh and buyers are watching. There are always active buyers in any market, and when your home goes live, it appears in their alerts. These buyers have likely already toured other homes and are ready to move quickly when the right property appears. If your house fits their criteria, they’ll jump on it, often resulting in your strongest offer because the home is new, exciting, and hasn’t been sitting around. However, if you pass on that first decent offer, time works against you. The longer your home stays on the market, the more buyers wonder what’s wrong with it. You may end up chasing the market down with price reductions, lower offers, and weaker buyers. There’s also a psychological trap where sellers think getting an offer quickly means they “gave it away,” but in reality, you probably just priced it right and attracted a buyer who’s been actively hunting. When that first solid offer comes in, take it seriously, look at the numbers, talk strategy with your agent, and remember that waiting for “something better” often leads to something worse.