I'm considering offers on 2-bed properties in Austin, mainly coastal-style homes asking between $872,000 and $1,308,000. The market looks split rather than consistently fast or slow, with roughly 34 days on market in the group I'm tracking. Tenant-occupied properties also seem to move differently when the remaining lease length is clearly stated. Are sellers becoming more negotiable at this point? Recent completed examples would help, particularly where the closing price diverged from the visible asking-price history.
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Are buyers negotiating more in Austin after 34 days? Second opinion on a 2-bed
- Thread starter SimpleWall
- Start date
Thirty-four days alone would not persuade me that a seller is ready for a large reduction. Compare the closing price with the asking price in effect when the property likely went under contract, not only the original list price. Condition, earlier cuts and any seller concessions can materially change what appears to be a straightforward discount.
The comparison may be too broad to support a negotiating decision yet. I’d narrow it to the same part of Austin and split houses, townhouses and condos, since two bedrooms alone does not produce the same buyer pool.
The previous point about using the asking price at the likely contract date is useful, but I would add occupancy status to that table. A vacant home and one carrying a lease with an uncertain move-in date are not equivalent, even at similar prices and days listed. That distinction may reveal more about seller motivation than the 34-day figure.
The previous point about using the asking price at the likely contract date is useful, but I would add occupancy status to that table. A vacant home and one carrying a lease with an uncertain move-in date are not equivalent, even at similar prices and days listed. That distinction may reveal more about seller motivation than the 34-day figure.
I disagree that day 34 is a particularly meaningful negotiating threshold. If new listings are arriving quickly, buyers gain alternatives even before older stock looks stale. Conversely, withdrawn and relisted properties can make the public days-on-market figure understate how long a seller has really been trying. Price-cut timing and seller motivation matter more than the headline number.
A practical way to get the second opinion is to build a small table of genuinely comparable completed sales: original ask, later asking changes, days listed, closing price, condition and lease status. Keep withdrawn or relisted stock in a separate column rather than treating it as a clean new listing. Public history may not reveal concessions, so avoid interpreting every gap as pure price negotiation.
One caveat to my table suggestion: financing should be noted where it is known, but not guessed from the sale price. A financed buyer facing occupancy or condition restrictions may have less flexibility than a cash buyer, while a seller who has already cut may be firmer than one who has held the original price for 34 days. I would ask the agent directly about lease expiry, prior withdrawals and the seller's preferred timing before choosing an offer level.