A first no is often where the negotiation starts. If the seller turned your offer down without a figure, ask what they would accept before you raise it. If they countered, compare their figure with your target and walk-away: agree, step once, or say your offer stands.
The agent rings back with one of two answers. "I'm afraid the seller won't accept that." Or: "The seller won't accept that, but they'd take £X." The second is a counter-offer, and it means the seller is negotiating.
Neither answer has to end the negotiation. This guide covers what each one usually means, how to reply to a plain no, how to answer a counter, when to meet in the middle, and when to hold or walk away. It's written for England and Wales.
Offer rejected or countered: what the answer tells you
The two answers ask different things of you:
- A rejection with no figure tells you the seller wants more, and not how much.
- A counter-offer puts the seller's own figure on the table. The gap now has two ends, and you can measure it.
Before you reply to either, ask the agent three questions:
- What would the seller accept?
- Is anything besides the price holding them back, such as your chain or a moving date?
- Did the seller see your reasons, or only your figure?
If you only gave a figure, send your reasons by email now. A bare number is easy to turn down in a sentence.
If the no comes with news of another buyer, do estate agents lie about other offers? covers how to test it. If the agent calls for best and final offers instead, best and final offers covers how to set yours.
Been to a viewing?
Put in the address and see what the data says you should offer — sold prices, time on market, seller signals.
Rejected with no counter: don't bid against yourself
A plain no gives you nothing to answer. If you raise now, you're bidding against yourself: moving your own figure while the seller's stays hidden.
Ask the agent what figure the seller would accept. If they name one, you have a counter to answer, and the section on counters below covers it.
If they won't name one, restate your offer with its reasons and your position, and ask again. Your target is the move you make once there's a figure to answer.
A reply you can adapt:
Thank you for letting us know. Our offer of [£ figure] stands, subject to contract and survey. It's based on [recent sales of similar homes nearby] and [the work the kitchen needs], and we're [chain-free, with a mortgage agreed in principle]. If the seller has a figure in mind, we'd be glad to hear it.
If the seller is insulted by a lowball offer
Sometimes the no comes with a message: the seller found your offer insulting.
Don't make amends with a big jump. It tells the seller your first figure meant nothing, and every figure after it means less.
Check the offer against the evidence instead: the sold prices of similar homes nearby, how long the house has been on the market, any price cuts, and the work it needs. If the evidence supports your figure, send the reasons and ask what the seller would accept. If it doesn't, make your next offer one the evidence does support, and say why.
What is a cheeky offer, and when does it work? covers how low is too low.
If the agent says the seller won't look at anything below a set figure, ask whether the seller has said so in writing. What the agent must pass on is in the rules at the end.
How to answer a counter-offer
A counter is progress: the seller has named a price they would accept. Put it against the three numbers you set before you offered: your opening offer, your target and your walk-away. How to negotiate house price covers setting them.
| Their counter | What it usually means | Your move |
|---|---|---|
| At or below your target | They're close to the price you expected to agree. | Agree, subject to contract and survey, and ask for anything you want included. |
| Between your target and your walk-away | You can close the gap, but every step costs you. | Step once, with a reason and something asked in return. |
| Above your walk-away | They want more than the house is worth to you. | Say your offer stands. If their next figure is still above your walk-away, stop there. |
When you step:
- Give the new figure a reason, such as recent sales or the work the house needs.
- Make each move smaller than the last. A last move as big as your first tells the agent there's more to come.
- Keep your walk-away to yourself. "What's the most you could go to?" is a request for it.
A reply you can adapt, sent by email the same day:
Thank you for passing on the seller's figure of [£ counter]. We can go to [£ figure], subject to contract and survey. That reflects [recent sales of similar homes nearby], and at that figure we'd ask for [the appliances] to be included. We're [chain-free, with a mortgage agreed in principle].
Should you meet in the middle?
Agents often suggest splitting the difference. Before you agree, check two things:
- Where the middle came from. It's halfway between two figures, each chosen by one side. If you offered £300,000 and the seller countered at £330,000, the middle is £315,000. Had you opened at £290,000, it would be £310,000.
- Where it sits against your walk-away. At or below it, and backed by the evidence, the middle can be a fair place to agree. Above it, meeting in the middle means paying more than the house is worth to you.
If you do meet in the middle, get something for it, such as a completion date that suits you or the appliances included. You don't have to split it evenly: a smaller move with a reason is a counter of your own.
If you agree a price, offer accepted: what happens next covers the weeks up to exchange.
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If the seller won't budge on price
Sometimes the answer doesn't move: the seller won't go below the asking price, or repeats the same counter.
That's a position. Sellers' expectations move with time on the market and with the offers they receive. Two questions test it:
- Has the seller had an offer at the asking price?
- How long has the house been on the market, and has the price been cut?
A house that has sat for months without an offer at its price is testing that price. Days on the market covers how to read the listing's history.
If their figure is above your walk-away, hold once. If it's still above after that, stop, and leave your offer in writing:
We understand the seller's position. Our offer of [£ figure] is the most this house is worth to us on the evidence, so it stays where it is. If the seller's position changes, we'd be glad to hear from you.
Will you lose the house if you hold?
You might. If another buyer offers what the seller wants and can proceed, the seller may take their offer.
That's the case for setting your walk-away before the first call. If you lose at your limit, the house would have cost more than it was worth to you.
Stopping isn't always the end. TwentyCi's figures, reported by The Intermediary, put UK sales falling through at 23.4% in the first half of 2026. Asking prices get cut, too. Tell the agent in writing that your offer stands if anything changes, and ask to hear if the price is cut. Then yours is the offer they already have.
How Broc helps when the agent comes back
Know your walk-away before you answer the call. Broc works out your numbers for a specific address from the sold prices of similar homes nearby and, where it can match the listing, how long the house has been on the market and any price cuts, along with signals about the seller's position. With your answers about the house and your own position, the report sets your opening offer, target and walk-away, and writes the offer letter.
Log the offer you sent in the report's deal room, then the agent's answer. Log a counter as "They countered", with their figure. The deal room shows where it sits against your opening offer, target and walk-away, and gives you a next move with a reply letter, never past your walk-away:
- Hold when their figure is above your walk-away, or no higher than your offer. The letter says your offer stands.
- Step when their figure is above your offer and inside your walk-away. The first step goes to the target the arguments in your letter price, and each step after that gives up the weakest argument left in the letter. If the next step already reaches their figure, the move is to agree at it.
- Restate your case when you've already offered every step your evidence prices inside your walk-away.
- Stop there when their figure is still above your walk-away after you held. The letter says your offer stands and leaves the door open.
Log a plain no as "They turned it down". With no figure to answer, the next move is to restate your case at the offer on the table and ask what the seller would accept. If the agent says the seller won't go below asking, pick "The agent made a claim", then "The seller won't go below asking". It shows what the claim usually means, how to test it and what to say back, and its next move is to restate your case too. If the asking price is the seller's figure, log it as a counter instead, and the moves above apply.
If the seller cuts the asking price instead, log the price cut, and the report re-scores from the new asking price. If the agent knocks back one of your arguments and you accept the point, drop it: the offer and the letter re-price around the rest.
You log what the agent said and you send the letter. Broc doesn't read your email or contact the agent.
Where the rules stand (position as of September 2026)
These rules apply in England and Wales. The last point is how Scotland differs.
- An offer is not legally binding until contracts are exchanged. (GOV.UK: making an offer)
- The agent must pass every offer to the seller promptly and in writing, unless the seller has said in writing that they don't want offers of that kind. (Estate Agents (Undesirable Practices) (No. 2) Order 1991, Schedule 3)
- The agent must not knowingly or recklessly misrepresent, in person, on the phone or in writing, whether an offer exists or what it is, or whether another buyer exists and what their position is, including their finances and how quickly they can exchange. (The same schedule.)
- The agent must not treat your offer less favourably because you won't use their other services, such as a mortgage arranged through them. (Schedule 2 of the same Order)
- An agent that can't complete the due-diligence checks the money-laundering rules require on you, such as verifying your identity, doesn't have to pass your offer on. (Money Laundering Regulations 2017, Schedule 7, paragraph 12)
- Agents in The Property Ombudsman's scheme must confirm every offer in writing to the seller, and to the buyer who made it, within 2 working days. They must also keep a record of every offer with its date and time and the seller's response. The code binds only members of The Property Ombudsman. (The Property Ombudsman's code for residential estate agents, section 9)
- Ask your agent which redress scheme it belongs to: The Property Ombudsman or the Property Redress Scheme. Complaints go to the agency first, then to that scheme. (GOV.UK: making a complaint)
- In Scotland, offers are sent by a solicitor. If the seller agrees to sell, their solicitor replies with a "qualified acceptance" setting out their conditions, and the contract is binding once the missives are agreed. (mygov.scot: making an offer)
General information, not legal or financial advice.
Frequently asked questions
What should I do if my offer on a house is rejected?
Ask the agent what the seller would accept before you raise it. If they name a figure, answer it as a counter-offer. If they don't, restate your offer with its reasons and ask again: raising against a plain no is bidding against yourself.
How do I respond to a counter-offer on a house?
Compare the seller's figure with your target and your walk-away. At or below your target, you can agree. Between your target and your walk-away, step once, with a reason and something asked in return. Above your walk-away, say your offer stands, and stop if their next figure is still above it.
Should I increase my offer after it's rejected?
Only for a reason, and only up to your walk-away. If the seller hasn't named a figure, raising is bidding against yourself. Ask what they would accept first.
Is a counter-offer legally binding?
No. In England and Wales an offer isn't legally binding until contracts are exchanged, and a counter-offer is an offer too. The rules, with their sources, are under "Where the rules stand" above.
Should I meet the seller in the middle?
Only if the middle is at or below your walk-away and the evidence supports it. The middle depends on where each side started, so check it against your own numbers. Ask for something in return, such as a completion date that suits you.
What if the seller is insulted by my offer?
Check the offer against the sold prices of similar homes nearby, the time on the market, any price cuts and the work the house needs. If the evidence supports it, send the reasons and ask what the seller would accept. Don't jump to make amends.
Does the agent have to pass my offer to the seller?
Yes, promptly and in writing, unless the seller has told them in writing not to pass on offers of a certain kind, such as offers below a set figure, or they can't complete the due-diligence checks the money-laundering rules require on you, such as verifying your identity. Ask the agent to confirm in writing that your offer reached the seller. The rules are under "Where the rules stand" above.
Broc
Broc is the badger behind trybroc.io — "broc" is Old English for badger. Where the estate agent speaks in superlatives, Broc speaks in evidence — sold comparables, days on the market, seller-pressure signals — and turns them into a number you can defend.
