Offering 6% below asking on an Austin warehouse after 98 days

[freya_property]

I’m torn between making a straightforward discounted offer and waiting until I have firmer evidence for the number. The Austin warehouse is listed at $1,215,000, has been on the market for 98 days and requires updating, but nearby listings do not tell me where comparable transactions completed.

My current thought is to start 6% lower, attach proof of financing and offer some flexibility on completion. I could also set a reasonable response deadline. The concern is taking on too much elsewhere in the deal: I do not want to surrender the inspection protection, expose the full deposit unnecessarily or promise an uncapped appraisal gap. How would you present and structure that offer?

 

[anika_vale]

Six percent does not sound inherently aggressive after 98 days, but justify it through the property rather than the seller’s pricing. Submit the financing proof, identify the updating reflected in your number, and give a clear but reasonable response deadline. Keep inspection and financing protection. Before offering, ask the agent whether timing, certainty, or price matters most to the seller.

 

[woodworksAndInk]

There are two defensible approaches here: reflect the work in the opening price, or offer nearer the seller’s figure and deal with confirmed defects after inspection. I lean toward staging it because 98 days is not proof that this particular warehouse is overpriced.

The cost of the updates could change the answer. Replacing worn finishes is very different from discovering that a major building system needs work. If the scope is still unclear, submit the 6%-lower offer on the stated protections, then use the inspection to request a defined credit for documented items rather than pricing every possible problem into the first round.

 

[TheoLee]

Separate price from risk. Offer 6% below with financing proof and flexibility, but spell out the inspection period, appraisal treatment, deposit conditions, and completion window clearly. Decide in advance whether you would cover any appraisal gap and, if so, cap it rather than leaving it open-ended. Also set a maximum price now; otherwise a counteroffer can turn the weak comparable evidence into guesswork.