Offering 12% below asking on a Boston condo listed at $315,000

[AriRiver]

Ninety days on the market is noticeable, but it does not tell me what this Boston condo will actually sell for. My specific concern is making a low offer without enough completed sales to support it.

The asking price is $315,000 and the unit needs updating. I’m considering an opening offer 12% lower, with financing evidence and flexibility over the closing date. I would explain the number through condition and comparable sales rather than present it as an arbitrary percentage.

Would you include the visible work in the first offer and reserve later credits for issues uncovered by inspection? I want to retain inspection, financing and appraisal protection, particularly while the possible appraisal gap is unknown. I also need to choose a response deadline that is firm without creating unnecessary friction.

 

[coffeeAndQuill]

An offer around $277,200 isn’t insulting if it is presented as a number supported by condition and completed comparables, rather than simply “12% off.” Include financing proof and make the flexible timing clear. I would keep inspection and financing protection. If the valuation is uncertain, appraisal protection matters too; otherwise you may be volunteering to cover a gap you cannot yet measure.

 

[anika_vale]

Before settling on the number, has the listing price changed during those 90 days, and do you know anything about the seller’s preferred timing? Ninety days alone doesn’t reveal motivation. I’d also want completed condo sales with similar fees, condition and location—not just nearby asking prices. Those missing facts could support $277,200 or show that it is unlikely to get a response.

 

[anika_vale]

One other thought: don’t justify the full discount by listing every visible update and then expect additional credits for those same items after inspection. That can feel like negotiating the condition twice. Price the obvious work into the offer, while preserving inspection rights for problems you could not reasonably assess beforehand.

 

[aisha_deals]

Raising the price without sold comparables feels premature, while removing protection to make the offer look stronger could create a much larger problem. Clean financing helps, but it will not necessarily offset both a low number and several contingencies.

The missing fact for me is how much appraisal gap the buyer could actually cover, if any. That determines whether the appraisal clause is merely negotiating leverage or protection that cannot safely be traded away.

A narrow compromise would be to keep the essential contingencies, use a reasonable response deadline and decide beforehand whether the first concession would be price, timing or repair credits. Then a counteroffer can be assessed against a fixed limit rather than under pressure.

 

[MinaGale]

The practical sequence seems to be: obtain the best completed comparables available, separate cosmetic updating from inspection discoveries, confirm financing proof, and ask what timing matters to the seller. Then submit one short explanation with the offer rather than a long critique of the condo. Keep the protections you genuinely need, and set your maximum now so a counteroffer doesn’t turn into improvised bidding.