Reasonable Offer Chart: How Much To Offer On A House
Overview
- There’s no universal discount number when making an offer on a house. A reasonable offer depends on market conditions, how long the home has been listed, and whether it was priced right in the first place.
- In a balanced market, 1% to 3% below asking is typically reasonable. In a clear buyer’s market, 5% to 10% below asking can land, especially on stale listings. In a hot seller’s market, asking price or above is the offer.
- Nationally in 2026, the typical home is selling below its original list price, and buyers who negotiated below asking averaged several points off list. Buyers have more room than they’ve had in years.
- Days on market is your best single signal. A home listed yesterday and a home sitting for 90 days are two completely different negotiations.
- The chart below gives you starting ranges. Your actual number should come from comps, not from a percentage rule.
People search for a “reasonable offer chart” because they want a simple answer to an uncomfortable question: how much lower can I offer without insulting the seller or losing the house? I’ve been a licensed broker since 2002, and I’ll give you the chart. But I’ll also tell you how to use it, because the buyers who treat these percentages as gospel instead of starting points are the ones who either overpay or lose three houses in a row.
The reasonable offer chart
| Market condition | Days on market | Reasonable offer range |
|---|---|---|
| Hot seller’s market (under 3 months of supply) | 0 to 14 days | Asking price to 3% above |
| Hot seller’s market | 30+ days | At asking to 2% below |
| Balanced market (3 to 6 months of supply) | 0 to 14 days | At asking to 2% below |
| Balanced market | 30 to 60 days | 2% to 5% below |
| Balanced market | 60+ days | 4% to 7% below |
| Buyer’s market (over 6 months of supply) | 0 to 14 days | 1% to 4% below |
| Buyer’s market | 30 to 60 days | 4% to 8% below |
| Buyer’s market | 90+ days or price-reduced | 8% to 12% below |
Two notes on reading this. First, “asking price” assumes the home was priced near market value. An overpriced home deserves a bigger discount, and an underpriced home in a competitive area can go above list even in a soft market. Second, these ranges assume a clean offer. If you’re loading the contract with contingencies, concessions, and a long closing timeline, you have less room on price.
When looking at the reasonable offer chart, how do you know what kind of market you’re in?
Three data points tell you almost everything: months of supply (under 3 months signals a seller’s market, over 6 signals a buyer’s market), the days on market trend, and the sale-to-list ratio. The sale-to-list ratio is the one most buyers have never heard of, and it’s the most useful. It compares what homes actually sold for against what sellers asked. A ratio above 100% means homes are selling over asking and you’re in a seller’s market. Below 100% means buyers are winning negotiations.
Right now, the national picture favors buyers more than it has in years. Roughly half of home sales are closing below the final list price, and the typical home is selling about 1.8% below its original list price, the largest discount since 2022. Even more telling: in early 2026, buyers who paid below asking averaged 7.9% below the original list price, the largest discount since 2012.
That’s the national average. Your negotiation happens on one street, in one neighborhood, against one seller. Which brings me to the questions buyers actually ask me.
How much lower do you offer on a house?
Start with the comps, not the list price. Pull the last three to six comparable sales within the past 90 days, adjust for condition and lot, and you’ll have a defensible market value. Your offer should be anchored to that number. If the home is listed at $450,000 but comps say $425,000, offering “5% below asking” still means overpaying.
Once you know market value, the chart above tells you how aggressive you can be based on conditions and days on market. In most 2026 markets, opening 3% to 5% below a fairly priced listing is a normal, respectable negotiation. On a listing that’s been sitting 60+ days with a price reduction already on the books, opening 8% to 10% below is not rude. It’s just business.
How much to offer on a house that’s priced right?
If the home is fresh on the market, priced at or below comps, and getting showings, offer close to asking. I know that’s not what a “how to lowball” article tells you, but a well-priced home in week one doesn’t need your discount, and the seller knows it. The buyers who insist on knocking 10% off everything lose the good houses and end up buying the leftovers at full price out of fatigue.
A good offer on a correctly priced home is asking price, or within 1% to 2% of it, with clean terms. Your leverage on a fresh listing comes from terms, not price: a solid pre-approval or proof of funds, reasonable inspection timelines, and a closing date that matches the seller’s life.
What is a good offer on a house?
A good offer is one the seller takes seriously and you don’t regret. In practice that means three things. It’s anchored to real comps, not to a percentage formula. It’s clean enough that the seller’s agent presents it with a straight face. And it leaves you room to move, because almost every deal involves a counter. If you open at your absolute ceiling, you’ve already lost the negotiation.
One more thing buyers forget: price is only one lever. A seller facing a $410,000 offer with a 21-day cash close will often take it over a $420,000 offer with financing contingencies and a 45-day timeline. This is exactly the dynamic that plays out here on the Treasure Coast, where a huge share of Vero Beach homes sell for cash and speed and certainty regularly beat raw price.
How much lower can you offer on a house?
You can offer whatever you want. The real question is what happens next. Offer 15% to 20% below asking on a fresh, fairly priced listing and the most likely outcome isn’t a counter. It’s silence, and a seller who mentally blacklists you when you come back later with a real number.
There are situations where a deep discount is legitimate: a home that’s been sitting 90+ days, an estate sale, a property with visible deferred maintenance, a seller who’s already moved out and is paying two mortgages, or a listing that started badly overpriced and has been chasing the market down with reductions. In those cases, 10% or more below the current asking price can absolutely work, especially with a clean contract behind it. The listing history tells you which situation you’re in, and that history is something your agent can pull from the MLS in about thirty seconds.
What the reasonable offer chart and offers look like in Vero Beach
I work this market every day, and the chart needs local adjustment here like anywhere else. Vero Beach in 2026 leans toward buyers in most segments, inventory has loosened, and negotiation room is real, particularly on mainland homes that have been sitting. At the same time, the cash-heavy nature of this market changes the math. When a big chunk of your competition can close in three weeks with no appraisal, a financed buyer’s best move is often a sharper price with cleaner terms rather than a deep lowball.
If you’re comparing what homes here actually cost before you start writing offers, I broke that down in Is Vero Beach Expensive? And if you’re coming from out of state, my complete Vero Beach relocation guide covers the bigger picture: taxes, insurance, neighborhoods, and timing.
Want the actual number for a specific house?
A chart gets you in the neighborhood. Comps, listing history, and seller situation get you the number. That’s the part I do for my buyers every week. If you’re looking at a property in Vero Beach or anywhere in Indian River County, send me the address and I’ll tell you what I’d offer and why. You can also browse live MLS listings whenever you’re ready to start the search for real.
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