Check days on market before you believe it. Say: "Understood — our offer stands as it is. If the vendor's position changes, we'd be glad to hear from you." A property listed 40+ days with a "firm" vendor has a vendor who isn't getting what they want; a genuinely firm vendor in a hot market doesn't need the agent to say so.
Why they're saying it
The line works because it makes the vendor's position sound like a fact of nature rather than a stance. You can't argue with a wall, so you stop pushing — which is the whole point. But firmness is a claim, and claims leave evidence. Real firmness looks like a fresh listing, comparable sales that support the price, and competing buyers you can verify. Manufactured firmness looks like a property that's sat for six weeks while the agent insists nothing will move.
The strongest counter isn't an argument — it's a calm restatement and a comfortable silence. Pulling back slightly ("we'll leave our offer where it is for now") often surfaces the flexibility the firm vendor supposedly didn't have. The buyer who can comfortably walk holds the strongest hand at the table.
What to say back
"Fair enough — if the vendor is at [their number], help me see it. Which recent comparable sales support that? If the numbers hold up, we can talk; if they don't, our offer reflects the ones we've found."
"I understand. The property's been on the market a while now, so our offer stands as written — it's based on the comparable sales, and it has an expiry. If the vendor's position changes, we'd be glad to hear from you."
"We've named our price and we're comfortable with it. We're also looking at other properties, so there's no rush on our side — let us know where the vendor lands."
Avoid these reactions
- Raising your offer against a claim you never tested — you may be bidding against a phrase, not a vendor.
- Arguing the price is wrong, which forces the agent to defend the "firm" line to save face.
- Ignoring the calendar. Days on market is the single most honest data point in the conversation, and it's free.
This is exactly what Negotiately does — live
Paste what the other side actually said and get the tactic, who holds leverage, and a reply written for your specific situation.
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