Are Berlin sellers more open to negotiation after 94 days?

[radar.round]

A few more Berlin listings in my sample have now reached roughly 94 days without an obvious sale, which makes me question whether that point actually brings price cuts or stronger negotiating room. The apartments are asking about €868,500 to €1,303,000, but those with clear condition and maintenance information do not appear to follow the same pattern as vague listings.

The counterexample may be a well-documented apartment that simply waits for a buyer with suitable financing, while a newer but poorly explained listing cuts sooner. Fresh supply could matter as much as age.

Has anyone matched genuine completed prices to earlier adverts, including the timing of reductions? I am trying to keep withdrawn or relisted properties out of the sale figures and would be interested in how others handle those campaign histories.

 

[sailsAndWall]

I wouldn’t treat 94 days by itself as evidence that a seller will negotiate. It could mean overpricing, unresolved condition questions, weak presentation, or simply a relisted property whose true marketing period is longer. The useful comparison is between similar apartments in the same small area, with similar condition and maintenance exposure.

 

[teaAndBridge]

How are you counting the 94 days: from the current advert, the first known advert, or across relistings? Also, does your sample separate renovated apartments from those needing work? A listing can look negotiable until buyers account for the condition, at which point the asking price may already reflect it.

 

[lila_escrow]

The withdrawn stock is the big complication. An advert disappearing tells you almost nothing: sold, paused, rented instead, switched agent, or relisted with different photos. I’d track price cuts and disappearance dates, but mark the outcome as unknown unless there is credible confirmation of a completed sale.

 

[porch.prime]

Buyer financing could change the conversation even where the price does not. A seller may prefer a lower but credible offer over a higher one with unresolved funding. So when comparing offers or completed examples, it would help to know whether financing was already arranged and whether the seller had a reason to favour certainty.

 

[lila_escrow]

Agreed on certainty, although I’d separate that from evidence of broader negotiation. One motivated seller accepting a finance-ready buyer does not establish a market pattern. Naomi, are the price cuts happening early, or only after most of those 94 days? Late cuts may reveal more about seller expectations than the total marketing time.

 

[SunnyMeter]

New-listing volume matters too. If buyers have several close substitutes arriving each week, an older listing competes differently from one in a thin pocket of the city. Berlin-wide comparisons can obscure that. I’d draw tight neighbourhood boundaries and avoid combining properties merely because their asking prices fall within the same range.

 

[SharpGrove]

A simple table would make the pattern easier to test: first-seen date, relisting date, original ask, each reduction, current status, condition, maintenance information, exact micro-location and whether the outcome is confirmed. Keep “disappeared” separate from “sold.” Otherwise the apparent discount data will be built partly from guesses.

 

[SharpGrove]

One addition to my table suggestion: record when important condition or maintenance details became available. If an apartment sat for weeks because buyers lacked answers, the 94-day figure may describe an information problem rather than weak demand. The period after those details were supplied could be more revealing.

 

[lila_homes]

There is another limitation: public asking histories only show advertised changes. Negotiation can happen privately without another visible price cut, and a revised advert may not preserve the earlier history. A completed example is useful only if the final figure and the identity of the property can be matched reliably, even if the details are shared anonymously.

 

[bikesAndEcho]

My takeaway would be to use 94 days as permission to ask questions, not as a formula for a discount. Ask why the property remains available, whether there have been offers, what condition concerns are unresolved, and what timing matters to the seller. Then base the offer on close alternatives and the cost of any work, while keeping unconfirmed disappearances out of the evidence.