How much should I offer on a house?
Start from what comparable properties closed at, adjust down for documented condition issues, factor in days on market, and never exceed the highest price at which the purchase still meets your objective.
Methodology
How we estimate offer price
We start from what comparable properties actually closed at, adjust for documented condition, then account for time on market and seller position. That produces a recommended range, capped by the highest price at which the deal still works for you. List price is treated as an input, not a starting point.
What this is
- What it is
- The documented method behind the offer strategy in a Property Intelligence brief.
- Who it is for
- Buyers deciding what to offer on a specific property.
- The problem it solves
- Most offers are a percentage off list price. List price is the seller's opinion, and anchoring to it hands the negotiation away before it begins.
What the method requires
Comparable closings
Recent nearby sales of similar properties, adjusted for size and condition.
Condition findings
Inspection reports, disclosures and documented observations, priced as deductions.
Market position
Days on market, price history, and competing inventory.
Your ceiling
The highest price at which the purchase still meets your objective — affordability, cash flow or margin.
The method, step by step
01
Anchor to closings
Establish supported value from adjusted comparable sales.
02
Deduct for condition
Price documented defects and deferred maintenance as explicit deductions.
03
Read the market position
Days on market and price reductions inform how much room exists.
04
Cap at your ceiling
Never recommend above the price at which your own objective fails.
05
Name the terms
Identify what is worth trading before price — timeline, contingencies, repairs, credits.
What we will not do
- We do not recommend an offer above the price at which the deal stops working for you.
- We do not treat list price as the anchor.
- When comparable evidence is weak, we widen the range and state why rather than implying precision.
Questions about this method
Do you recommend offering below asking?
Only where the evidence supports it. The recommendation follows comparable closings and condition, which sometimes lands above list and sometimes well below.
What to read next
See this method applied to one address
Property Intelligence™ runs this method against verified records, the documents you upload and professional review — then states a recommendation, its confidence, and exactly what is still missing.