Negotiating on a Rotterdam apartment after 86 days at €147,200

[drawTheGrain]

What surprised me is that 86 days has not produced an obvious pattern among the comparable listings. The serviced apartment I am looking at is asking €147,200, while saved options from €117,800 to €176,600 have either moved quickly or remained available with little visible change.

I do not want to assume the seller is flexible if the delay is really caused by condition, ongoing costs or limited buyer financing. Equally, a portal entry disappearing does not tell me whether it sold or was withdrawn.

Would you first check completed prices against the original asks, changes in new-listing volume, or sales within a very tight neighbourhood boundary? I am looking for a calmer way to choose an opening offer rather than treating the 86-day figure as an automatic discount.

 

[sunny_pine]

Eighty-six days gives you a reason to test a lower offer, but not enough information to choose the amount. Has the €147,200 listing already been reduced, and are comparable apartments actually selling or just disappearing from the portals? Withdrawn stock can make the market look healthier than it is.

I’d ask the agent directly about previous offers, the seller’s preferred timeline, and exactly which transaction fees apply. A clean offer with clear financing and timing may matter as much as the headline price.

 

[wren_taxes]

I wouldn’t anchor too heavily on days listed. Serviced apartments can differ sharply on condition, ongoing costs and who can finance them, even within that price range. A nearby sale across a neighbourhood boundary may also be a poor comparison.

Build a short list of genuinely similar completed properties, then note condition, original ask, any visible price-cut timing and final sale price where available. If that evidence is thin, negotiate from the apartment’s specific drawbacks rather than assuming 86 days automatically earns a fixed discount.