Negotiating on Brisbane condos after 17 days on market

S

sasha.dale

Property investor
Before I decide whether to offer, I need to know whether waiting for more evidence is worth the risk of losing the condo. I’m a first-time buyer looking at Brisbane properties around A$766,100 to A$1,149,000, and this one has been advertised for 17 days.

That period sounds like possible negotiating room, but it may mean little if the seller is not under pressure or if comparable stock is scarce. I am also finding that neighbourhood boundaries matter, while an empty unit, a tenanted unit and one offered with vacant possession can attract different buyers.

Where would you draw the comparison area, and how would you account for withdrawn or relisted stock? I am particularly interested in completed sales with enough campaign history to show whether the asking price changed.
 
Seventeen days alone wouldn’t make me assume the seller is flexible. Compare completed sales in the same building or a genuinely comparable nearby pocket, then adjust for condition and vacancy. A low offer based only on days advertised is easy to dismiss; one tied to relevant sales gives the seller something to answer.
 
Which Brisbane neighbourhoods are you including, and by vacancy do you mean currently empty, tenanted, or available with vacant possession? Those details could explain more than the 17-day figure. Even adjoining pockets may attract different buyers, so a citywide condo comparison could be misleading.
 
I’d also separate renovated, ready-to-occupy units from those needing work. Two condos with similar floor area and location can have very different buyer pools if one presents well and the other brings immediate costs or uncertainty.
 
Be careful with the public asking history. A withdrawn listing may return with a fresh description or different price, making the visible days-on-market figure look cleaner than the actual campaign. Record withdrawal gaps and changes rather than relying on the current listing page.
 
A simple spreadsheet would help: first advertised date, original ask, each price change, withdrawal or relisting, vacancy status, condition, and eventual sale price. Leave out properties where the neighbourhood or building is not truly comparable. After several results, the split Ana is noticing may become easier to explain.
 
I slightly disagree that 17 days tells you nothing. It can justify testing a lower offer if the initial launch has passed without a deal, especially when competing listings are appearing. It just doesn’t tell you how far below to go. Financing certainty and clean terms may matter as much as price.
 
Are these private-sale listings with an actual asking price, or campaigns where the advertised figure is only a guide? A difference between the public figure and final price means less unless the type of campaign is recorded too.
 
That distinction is important. With a firm asking price, a later reduction is a clearer signal. With a guide, the advertised history may not reveal the seller’s real expectation. I’d still track it, but not treat every gap between guide and sale price as a negotiated discount.
 
Price-cut timing can also distort the 17-day comparison. A property reduced yesterday is effectively meeting a new group of buyers, while another unchanged for 17 days may be facing a genuinely weak response. Same headline duration, different negotiating position.
 
For completed examples, ask selling agents for recent comparable results and then verify that the properties actually match your target. The most useful example includes the same building or micro-area, similar condition, vacancy status and campaign history—not merely the same suburb and broad price band.
 
Agreed, and an example without a specific location is hard to apply. A quieter boundary street, better outlook or awkward immediate surroundings can outweigh a small difference in floor area. I wouldn’t use a suburb-wide median or an anonymous “similar condo sold for…” as the basis for an offer.
 
Seller motivation is the missing variable. Vacancy can create carrying costs and encourage a decision, but an empty property does not automatically mean distress. Conversely, a seller may hold firm despite a long campaign. Ask why they are selling and what timing they want, while treating the answer as negotiation rather than proof.
 
Financing deserves its own column. If two buyers offer similar amounts, the seller may prefer the one who appears more capable of completing. Before negotiating hard, know your approved limit and have any proposed conditions checked for your circumstances rather than removing protections just to look attractive.
 
My practical sequence would be: choose three genuinely close completed sales, note material condition differences, study the full campaign history, and set a maximum based on the property rather than the asking price. Then make one supportable offer. If the seller counters, you can judge it against evidence instead of momentum.
 
I’d look at competing choices before deciding that 17 days is either short or long. If several genuinely similar condos have come onto the market, the buyer can make a firmer offer and still have alternatives. If replacements are scarce, the seller has more reason to hold position.

My practical approach would be to count active comparable listings first, then keep withdrawn campaigns in a separate column. Withdrawals may indicate that sellers failed to find buyers, but those properties are no longer choices available to someone negotiating today.
 
One limitation to the requested completed examples: the final sale price won’t show every trade-off. A buyer may have accepted the property’s condition, timing or occupancy arrangements in exchange for price. Use completed sales as boundaries, not as a promise that another seller will accept the same discount.
 
I’d ask the agent directly whether earlier interest failed over price, property condition, financing, or timing. They may not give a complete answer, but the response can still suggest where the obstacle lies. Keep the questions factual rather than announcing that 17 days means the listing is stale.
 
The A$766,100 and A$1,149,000 ends of the search may behave like separate markets. Buyers, competing stock and seller expectations can differ across that span. I would split the analysis into narrower price groups instead of expecting one negotiation pattern to cover the whole range.
 
There’s also a risk in waiting for perfect evidence: another buyer may simply value the condo more. Decide what it is worth to you after due diligence, offer below that if the evidence supports it, and retain room for a counter. Walking away is easier when the maximum was set beforehand.
 
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