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Selling a home right now is an uphill battle, to say the least.
In fact, the most recent data suggests that sellers would rather delist their home at the moment than deal with the negotiations skewing in favor of buyers and trying to find their own next home with an extremely high mortgage rate.
That said, some sellers are simply looking to offload their property quickly. These individuals might be brainstorming ways to attract motivated buyers straight from the listing. But wanting a serious buyer doesn’t mean you should sell yourself short—and labeling yourself as a “motivated seller” might do just that.
Does adding ‘motivated seller’ to a home listing entice buyers?
Given the complexity of the current housing market, there’s no denying that calling yourself “motivated” can be seen as a green flag.
To buyers, “motivated” often suggests flexibility, eagerness, and a willingness to move quickly—all major advantages.
However, the downside is that it might invite the wrong kind of offers to the seller: rock-bottom ones.
“’Motivated seller’ translates to ‘lowball me, I’m desperate,’” warned a user on Reddit in a discussion on listing vernacular. The OP was ready to list themselves as a “motivated seller” after their home supposedly was on the market for 90-plus days and received zero offers.
But the vast majority of feedback the poster received warned that an influx of low offers would likely follow—but real estate agents didn’t necessarily feel the same.
“When a seller says they are motivated, it is a signal that they are open to offers,” explains Cara Ameer, real estate broker at Coldwell Banker Vanguard Realty in Florida. “They don’t want to necessarily reduce the price, but they want to encourage activity that leads to offers.
How to sell your home without slashing the price
The truth is, right now, sellers are less likely to even accept a lowball offer anyway.
Delistings jumped 47% nationally in May from a year earlier, in a sign that sellers would increasingly rather wait than negotiate, according to the Realtor.com® economic research team’s latest monthly housing trends report. Year to date, delistings are up 35% from the same period in 2024.
Still, describing yourself as motivated does signal flexibility.
“If a seller wants to let buyers know right out of the gate that they are open to offers and encourage them, it is OK to use it as you want to set the right tone versus coming on the market overpriced and having the market ignore the property,” Ameer adds.
With all that said, if you need to get out of your home quickly, a price cut might be your only option. The good news is that you don’t have to take a huge hit—if you list smartly.
“Anyone in today’s market should not be afraid to drop their list price if their home has been on the market for several weeks with no serious interest,” says Tomas Satas, CEO at Windy City Home Buyer in Cicero, IL.
Affordability is still the top driver for buyers looking to settle down. If you have a home that’s priced right and in a desirable enough location, you shouldn’t have to resort to listing “tricks” to entice buyers.