How much negotiating room after 46 days at $1,310,000 in Los Angeles?

B

BoCole

Buyer
I’m considering how aggressively to negotiate on a Los Angeles property asking $1,310,000. The market feels split rather than uniformly fast or slow, and villas in the roughly $1,048,000–$1,572,000 bracket appear to be sitting around 46 days.

Homes with a clear story on energy performance seem to move differently, but asking prices only tell part of the story. Before deciding on an offer, I’d like recent completed-sale comparisons, particularly where the final price departed from the public asking history. How would you assess the significance of 46 days here?
 
I wouldn’t turn 46 days directly into a discount percentage. First establish whether it was priced realistically on day one. Compare nearby completed sales of similar size and condition, then trace any price cuts, withdrawals or relistings. A property can show 46 days publicly while having a more complicated marketing history.
 
Is 46 days the actual time for this property, or an average for the whole $1,048,000–$1,572,000 group? Also, which neighbourhood? In Los Angeles, crossing what looks like a minor neighbourhood boundary can make a comparison much less useful. Financing limitations and the building’s condition could matter more than the broad price bracket.
 
Energy information may be acting as a signal for general condition rather than changing the price on its own. My concern is that renovated homes are being compared with properties that still need substantial work.

Were the quicker sales genuinely similar in age, condition and location? If not, I would match a few completed sales on those factors first and only then see whether the energy details explain any remaining difference.
 
Completed prices are useful, but even they may not reveal the whole negotiation. The headline closing amount won’t necessarily show every concession or repair issue. Ask for a short list of genuinely comparable closed sales and, where available, their original ask, later reductions, time on market and whether they disappeared and returned.
 
I’d also count withdrawn stock separately from completed sales. If several competing homes were removed rather than sold, the visible listings may make demand look stronger than it is. On the other hand, a sudden drop in new-listing volume can improve the seller’s position even after 46 days.
 
Price-cut timing would tell me more than the raw days. A seller who reduced recently may want to test the new level before accepting less. No reduction after 46 days can mean confidence, unrealistic expectations, or no urgency at all. Your offer strategy depends heavily on which of those applies.
 
Don’t overlook the buyer side. If your financing is solid and the terms are straightforward, that may carry weight without requiring you to chase the asking price. But don’t remove protections casually just to look attractive; the appropriate contingencies depend on the property and the transaction.
 
There’s a difference between negotiating and simply submitting a low number. I’d base the offer on two or three close completed sales, then explain adjustments for condition, location and necessary work. That gives the seller something concrete to respond to and makes a counteroffer more informative.
 
Condition could easily overwhelm the 46-day figure. A property needing expensive or disruptive work has a smaller buyer pool even if the asking price looks comparable. I’d inspect the listing history for changes in presentation and description, then budget the visible work before setting a ceiling.
 
A low offer based mainly on 46 days feels arbitrary; matching the ask because the evidence is incomplete feels no better. I would tighten the comparison area, separate completed sales from active and withdrawn stock, and record the original ask, reductions, relistings and condition.

Then ask whether the seller values speed or certainty. If they do, shape the offer around a defensible price and reliable timing. If there is no sign of motivation, set your ceiling from the closest completed sales and the cost of necessary work rather than assuming the 46-day figure earns a standard discount.
 
That distinction helps. I was treating the 46 days for the price bracket as more decisive than it really is. I’ll narrow the completed comparisons to the immediate neighbourhood, separate withdrawals and relistings, and look at when any reductions occurred. I’ll also treat energy information as part of the wider condition comparison rather than assuming it deserves a fixed premium.
 
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