Why Did Our Agent Counter The Offer?

Dear Phyllis,
We recently sold our home but
the experience was unsettling.
We received three offers over
the asking price. One offer was
$100,000 over the other two and
our agent decided to counter
that offer with what seemed
like insignificant items, such
as who escrow and title were
to be and lessening the days
of the inspection contingency.

The buyer did not sign the
counteroffer and it resulted
in us accepting $100,000 less.

Why did our agent counter the
offer? I think we should have
just accepted the offer and
opened escrow.

— JK

Dear JK,
I am a Realtor and not an
attorney. However, you are
missing the point. I don’t think
the buyer walked away because
of the counteroffer. Instead, the
timing suggests something else
happened.

First, in multiple-offer
situations, buyers often stretch
beyond their comfort zone.
They want to win. As a result,
they may submit a price that
looks strong on paper but
does not hold up emotionally
or financially. Then, once the
pressure of the bidding war
fades, reality sets in. That is
when buyer’s remorse often
appears.

Next, the items your agent
countered — escrow, title,
and inspection timelines —
are typically minor terms.
They do not usually cause a
serious buyer to walk away
from a home they truly want,
especially when they have
already offered $100,000 more
than competing buyers. In
most cases, a committed buyer
will sign the counter or at
least respond. Silence usually
signals hesitation or second
thoughts, not frustration over
small details.

Also, even if you had accepted
the original offer outright,
the sale was not guaranteed.
The buyer still had to deliver
the earnest money deposit
and open escrow. A buyer
experiencing regret can simply
fail to perform at that stage. In
other words, acceptance alone
does not lock in the transaction.

Finally, your agent may
have been trying to strengthen
your position. By tightening
timelines or clarifying service
providers, the goal is often
to reduce risk and keep the
transaction on track. While it
feels like the counter caused the
loss, it is more likely the buyer
was already backing away.

In short, the higher offer
was probably never as solid as
it appeared. The counteroffer
did not create the problem, but
likely exposed it.

Warm regards,
Phyllis