Offering 5% below asking on a Rome duplex after 91 days

T

travelsAndGrove

Property investor
Established
I’m torn between making a clean 5%-below-asking offer and waiting until I know whether the seller is genuinely motivated. The Rome duplex is listed at €372,600, has been on the market for 91 days and requires some modernisation. Current listings nearby support the general range, but there is little completed-sale evidence to show the actual closing level.

My opening figure would be €353,970. I can provide proof of financing and accommodate the seller on completion, but I want to present the price without turning the discussion adversarial. Is the time on market and cost of the work enough explanation, or should I say less?

The agent is also pressing on inspection protection, suggesting another buyer may give it up. I am not comfortable doing that. Before paying a deposit or signing anything, what withdrawal, financing, inspection or appraisal terms deserve particular attention?
 
€353,970 is not an insulting opening after 91 days, although it may simply be rejected. Keep the explanation short: time on market, updating required, and uncertainty around completed comparables. Attach financing evidence and offer the flexible completion date as a benefit.

I would retain technical inspection and financing protection. Any wording around appraisal, deposits and withdrawal should be examined by someone familiar with the transaction in Rome before you sign.
 
Thanks. The agent appears to mean inspection protection when saying another buyer will waive “it,” but has not actually confirmed that there is another written offer. I have financing proof ready. I also do not yet know whether the 91 days were continuous or whether the asking price changed, so I’ll ask about both before submitting.
 
Also ask what matters to the seller besides price. A preferred completion date may be valuable, or it may be irrelevant. Seller motivation could determine whether 5% below gets a counter rather than a refusal.

More importantly, decide your own ceiling now. If they counter quickly, you do not want the agent’s urgency determining what you pay.
 
I slightly disagree with leaning too heavily on the 91 days and updating. If comparable asking prices are close, the seller can argue that the listing is already positioned correctly, while visible updating may already be reflected in the price.

You can still offer 5% less, but avoid writing a long prosecution case. State the amount and clean terms. Save requests for repair credits for defects that are actually discovered, rather than charging twice for updating you already observed.
 
A tidy offer could include the price, financing evidence, your completion flexibility, a clear response deadline and the protections that remain. Keep those protections specific enough to be meaningful, with local advice on the wording.

Pay particular attention to when a deposit becomes exposed. Do not let “clean offer” become shorthand for risking money before you understand the technical, financing and appraisal consequences.
 
The appraisal gap deserves its own decision. Financing approval does not necessarily tell you how a lender will value this particular duplex. Work out how much cash, if any, you could add if the valuation comes in below the agreed price—and whether you would even want to. That answer should be settled before the seller counters.
 
On repair credits, I would not assume the seller will welcome a credit structure. A documented price adjustment may be clearer, depending on how the transaction is arranged. The inspection should distinguish ordinary updating from defects or unanticipated work. Otherwise the seller may reasonably say your original discount already accounted for the condition.
 
The agent’s statement about another buyer is not a reason to remove protection. You can respond calmly: your offer is supported by financing evidence, remains subject to the stated conditions, and expires after a short but reasonable period. If another offer genuinely suits the seller better, you may lose the property—but that is preferable to accepting undefined deposit or repair exposure.
 
Maria, the two facts you planned to ask about could materially change the approach. A recent price reduction would make another 5% cut harder to sell, while 91 uninterrupted days at €372,600 would support testing the seller. Did the agent also explain whether the seller has a target completion date or is simply waiting for the full asking price?
 
I’d add one question to Gabriel’s list: have any earlier negotiations failed, and if so, can the agent say whether the issue was price, financing, timing or property condition? They may not disclose details, but even a limited answer could reveal whether your flexible date and financing proof solve an actual seller concern.
 
Because it is a duplex, physical inspection should not be the only protection considered. Have suitable independent local professionals verify that the present configuration and any intended updating are acceptable from a technical and legal standpoint. The precise process is jurisdiction-specific, so do not rely on the selling agent’s description alone or treat a visual inspection as covering everything.
 
I would submit the €353,970 offer without apologising for it: concise condition-based reasoning, financing proof, flexible completion and a defined response period. Keep technical inspection, financing/appraisal protection and controlled deposit exposure unless local advice gives you a compelling reason to alter them. Expect a counter, set your ceiling beforehand, and treat an unverified competing offer as possible—not as a command to waive safeguards.
 
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