Stink Bids

If you think the Toronto real estate market smells bad these days, with rising interest rates and the desperate need for more affordable housing, it’s about to get a whole lot stinkier. Stink bids, also known as Toronto real estate lowball bids, are back and every neighbourhood is affected.

What is a Stink Bid in Real Estate?

A stink bid, also known as Toronto real estate lowball bids, are essentially a really low ball offer from a buyer well below list price. It’s an aggressive offer tactic used to test a sellers potential desperation in the market. This can work particularly well for listings that used to sell in mere days from massive bidding wars, but now sit idle on the MLS for weeks or even months.

Do Stink Bids Work?

It’s an interesting question when it comes to a real estate bid strategy. People often ask if stink bids work and whether it’s a strategy they should use for homebuying or home selling.

For Homebuyers:

As a first-time homebuyer or seasoned investor, a stink bid has a low percentage of success, unless the seller is really desperate to sell. But it could still lead to a reasonable discount under list price and real estate market comparables for Toronto homebuyers.

For Homesellers:

Stink bids are better than no bid at all. So some Toronto home sellers might feel relieved to get any offer just to start negotiating a better price in a battle of wills between buyer and seller. And more savvy sellers will use the stink bid to potentially drum up other competing offers with the hope that more competition will drive up prices back to list price or higher.

Next Steps

Either way, the days of bidding wars in Toronto seem to be dropping like flies, especially in the condo market, while stink bids are definitely on the rise. Whether you’re a homebuyer or home seller, contact Sean Mayers Real Estate now to find out whether this is the right strategy for you.