Offering 2% below asking on a new-build flat in São Paulo — sensible or too aggressive

[EarnestPorch]

I’m torn between opening 2% below the list price and making a stronger first offer to avoid losing the flat. The São Paulo new-build is listed at R$3,360,000, so I am considering R$3,292,800 after 41 days on the market.

There are comparable listings nearby, but too few completed sales for me to know where buyers and sellers are actually agreeing. Some items also need attention, although I want to separate real defects from finishes I would change by choice. My financing is progressing and I can be flexible about completion.

How would you present the offer without turning it into criticism of the property? I can walk away, but I do not want an appraisal shortfall or condition issue to put my deposit at risk. Inspection and financing protection matter to me; should any documented defects be handled later through repair credits rather than included in the opening negotiation?

 

[readsAndPlan]

Two percent is not an aggressive opening in itself. Keep the rationale short: limited completed-sale evidence, the updating required, and your strengths on financing and timing. Don’t turn it into a long critique of the flat.

I would attach proof that financing is progressing, give the seller a clear response deadline, and keep both inspection and financing conditions. Also clarify your deposit exposure if the appraisal comes in below the agreed price. Do you know whether the seller is a developer or an individual owner? Their motivation may matter more than the 41 days.

 

[sam.lane]

I’d be cautious about leaning too heavily on “needs updating” if this is genuinely a new-build; the seller may hear that as taste rather than a defect. Separate actual condition issues from finishes you simply want to change.

Instead of requesting a lower price and unspecified repairs at once, offer R$3,292,800 subject to inspection and appraisal, then deal with documented defects through repair credits if they emerge. The exact wording and deposit consequences depend on the São Paulo contract, so have those provisions checked before signing rather than assuming a financing condition covers every appraisal gap.