Offering 9% below asking on a Bogotá country home after 115 days

I

isa.reed

Real estate agent
Established
A 9% discount is the point I am trying to justify without turning the discussion into criticism of the house. The Bogotá country home is listed at COP 3,239,000,000 and has been on the market for 115 days, putting my proposed opening figure at COP 2,947,490,000.

It needs updating, but the larger problem is the shortage of completed sales evidence; comparable listings only show what other sellers hope to receive. I can demonstrate financing and offer flexibility on completion. For example, if a particular handover date matters to the seller, I could accommodate that rather than increase the price immediately.

Would you first ask for evidence of the seller’s preferred timing and motivation, then frame the offer around those points? I intend to retain inspection, financing and appraisal conditions, and I do not want an aggressive deposit structure to create unnecessary exposure.
 
Present it as a supported proposal, not a verdict on the property. Mention the time listed, required updating and limited evidence from completed comparables, then emphasise the financing documentation and flexible completion. I would keep inspection and financing protection. If an appraisal is required, address that too rather than silently accepting an unlimited appraisal gap.
 
Also, what do you know about the seller’s motivation? Flexibility may be worth more than another small increase if they need a particular completion date. Give the offer a clear but reasonable response deadline so it does not sit indefinitely. I would avoid attaching a long catalogue of cosmetic faults; that tends to make a numerical negotiation feel personal.
 
I would not lean too heavily on the 115 days. A country home can have a narrower buyer pool, so a longer marketing period does not necessarily prove that the price is wrong. The larger weakness is that your comparables are asking prices rather than completed sales.

Before settling on 9%, estimate the updates carefully. Are you pricing known work, or adding a broad uncertainty discount? Those are easier for a seller to distinguish than buyers sometimes expect.
 
That distinction helps. I do not yet know the seller’s timing or have a reliable cost breakdown for the updates, so I’ll ask for more information before presenting the discount as repair-based. My plan is to submit COP 2,947,490,000 with financing evidence, flexibility on completion and a defined response deadline, while keeping inspection, financing and appraisal protection. I’ll also avoid implying that 115 days alone proves overpricing.
 
One more practical point: decide in advance how inspection findings will be handled. You could reserve the ability to withdraw or renegotiate, then request a repair credit only for material findings rather than reopening every visible update. Make sure the written terms explain when the deposit becomes exposed and what happens if financing or appraisal falls short. Those details depend on the Colombian transaction documents, so have the wording checked locally before signing.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top