By Jordan Lund

Assessing an offer starts before the offer arrives. The first step is understanding what the owner wants to achieve.

Price matters, but it sits alongside other priorities. How quickly does the property need to sell? What timeframe does the owner need to work within? Has the owner got motivation, or have they purchased something else?

Those answers give an offer its context.

Understanding the priorities of your vendor is always a conversation you need to have before starting your campaign.

For some owners, speed is the priority. They need their property sold within a particular timeframe, so the timing of an offer becomes an important part of the discussion.

For others, achieving the strongest price comes first. They may be comfortable allowing more time on the market to pursue that outcome.

Privacy, or the impact a campaign can have on the vendors or tenants through the duration of the sale, can also shape the approach. An owner may prefer an off-market sale, or the opportunity to achieve a result without taking the property to the wider market.

Understanding these priorities helps establish what a suitable offer looks like for that owner.

Looking at the whole offer

Once an offer comes in, the assessment goes beyond the amount offered. It means showing the owners, with complete transparency, how you arrived at the offer.

A buyer’s conditions can influence whether the seller is willing to accept it. Settlement timing matters too. A quick settlement may suit one owner, while a longer settlement may better meet another owner’s needs.

The same price can therefore have a different meaning depending on the terms around it and the circumstances of the seller.

Negotiating towards the owner’s needs should always be your number one priority when representing a vendor.

That understanding also gives the negotiation a direction.

As the discussion progresses, the offer needs to be considered against the priorities established at the beginning: speed, timeframe, price, privacy and rent-back periods.

Does it meet the owner’s timing? Do the conditions suit their needs? Does the proposed approach align with their expectations?

The offer behind the number is the whole proposal—and how well it fits what the owner wants to achieve.

By Jordan Lund

Open-home attendance has dropped and buyer enquiry has slowed. But the people coming through open homes are more qualified and we feel are more serious than they were three months ago.

We’re seeing a gap of around 5–10% between seller and buyer expectations. Negative Australia wide headlines are influencing those conversations, but what matters most is how a property is priced, and being able to educate buyers as to why we as an agent see the value there. This is usually with recent comparable sales, particularly those since the budget.

Where owners’ expectations align with a realistic price point, we’re still seeing good results — including sales within the first 90 days on the market.

Presentation is also making a difference. Homes that are well maintained, staged and properly prepared are attracting stronger demand and enquiry. There is less for buyers to pick apart, and less reasons to negotiate.

Another conversation that keeps coming up is the cost of building. When buyers add the land price to construction costs, the numbers aren’t always stacking up. We’re seeing completed homes offer better value than buying land and going through a build that could take two years.

For sellers, realistic pricing and preparation matter. For buyers, there is value in looking closely at what is already built and available and acting now.

Open on the edge of Kawana Marina, from the family behind The Boat Shed at Cotton Tree — a waterfront room built for long lunches that roll into afternoon drinks, and a seasonal menu made for sharing. Twenty-five years of Maroochy River hospitality, moved to a new view five minutes from Buddina.