There’s a common misconception in real estate: that buyer’s agents push clients to offer the highest price possible just to win the house. It’s an easy narrative to believe, but it’s far from the truth, at least for my team and other agents who take their fiduciary duty seriously.
I’m proud to say I care about home buyers, and I believe my success is because of that.
Recently, I represented a buyer on a property listed at $1,438,000. (cash buyer and it was his first offer since I met a month ago.) After running a detailed comparative market analysis, the data supported a value of around $1,450,000 for similar homes. Based on that, I recommended an offer of $1,450,000, along with an HOA contingency due to new information the listing agent had disclosed.
During negotiations, the sellers asked us to remove the contingency. After discussing the risks and confirming my client was comfortable, we agreed. But immediately after removing it, the sellers countered at $1,465,000.
At that point, I paused everything and checked in with my buyer. I wanted to understand how he felt about the additional cost, not just financially, but emotionally. He told me he liked the home, but he only wanted to move forward at a price that felt reasonable. He also made it clear he was perfectly fine walking away; it wasn’t a “must‑have” property for him.
We were aligned. The unit’s location wasn’t ideal because the primary bedroom faced a public storage room, so we agreed to stand firm at $1,450,000 and let the chips fall where they may.
We didn’t get the house. In fact, as of today, the home still hasn’t sold.
And honestly, I feel great about the outcome.
My job isn’t to push buyers into overpaying or to “win at all costs.” My job is to protect their best interests, guide them with data, and support decisions that feel right for them, not for my commission, not for my ego, but for their long‑term financial and personal well‑being.
Sometimes the best win is walking away.
