How should you respond to a lowball offer on your Flower Mound home?
Don't ignore it, and don't take it personally. In Texas you have no legal duty to respond to an offer at all, but a written response almost always serves you better than silence. Check the offer against recent sold comps, look at the terms and not just the price, then counter near your real number or use the Texas REALTORS invitation form to ask for a better offer without tying yourself to that buyer. A low first number is often an opening bid, not a final answer.
First, decide whether it's really a lowball
A low offer stings. You've put years into this home, and a stranger just told you it's worth $50,000 less than you think. That reaction is normal. It's also the most expensive moment to make a decision, so slow down and run three checks before you answer.
Check it against the market, not against your list price. Redfin's August 2026 data for Flower Mound shows a median sale price of $639,577, a median 27 days on market, and homes selling for 99.1% of list price on average. Redfin describes the typical home as selling about 2% below list. So on a $650,000 listing, an offer at $637,000 isn't a lowball. It's the market. An offer at $600,000 is nearly 8% under, and that's a different conversation.
Check your days on market. In the same Redfin data, 42.4% of Flower Mound listings took a price drop. If your home has been sitting for 60 days with slow showings, a low offer may be telling you something your list price isn't. If you listed nine days ago and showings are steady, the buyer is probably testing you. If you're not sure which one you are, start with the pricing mistake most sellers make.
Read the whole offer. Price is one line. A low price with cash, a short option period, no repairs requested, and your ideal closing date can beat a higher price loaded with seller concessions and a shaky lender letter. Run each version through your net sheet before you decide how insulted to be.
One more thing most sellers don't know: your listing agent has to bring you every offer, even one they think is too low to bother with. That's Texas license law. You're the one who decides what's worth answering.
Your four ways to respond in Texas
Most articles on this topic are written for the whole country. Here's how it works under the Texas forms your sale will use. This is the conversation I walk my sellers through before a single word goes back to the buyer's agent.
- Counter in writing. This is the right move most of the time. Your agent marks up the terms you want changed and sends them back. Know what a counter does, though. Under basic contract law, a counteroffer replaces the buyer's offer. Their original number is off the table, and they're free to walk. And if the buyer signs your counter, you're under contract at those terms. Only counter with a number you'd be glad to close at.
- Invite a new offer without countering. Texas REALTORS has a form built for this: the Seller's Invitation to Buyer to Submit New Offer (TXR 1926). It tells the buyer which terms would be more acceptable to you, and it states plainly that it is not a counteroffer. Your home stays on the market and you can still accept someone else. It's a good fit when other showings are on the calendar and you don't want to be bound to this buyer yet.
- Say no, and leave the door open. A short, polite reply through your agent ("the seller isn't able to accept this, and would welcome a stronger offer") costs nothing. Buyers who start low sometimes come back two weeks later at a real number. They won't if they were treated poorly.
- Don't respond. You're allowed to. Texas REALTORS legal guidance is clear that a seller has no legal duty to respond to an offer in any particular way. But silence ends the conversation, and you rarely know what the buyer's ceiling was. I save this one for offers that are plainly not serious.
A verbal back-and-forth between agents can speed things up, and it's common. Just remember that nothing is binding in a Texas home sale until it's in writing and signed by both sides. A verbal "we could do $635,000" is a signal, not a deal.
How to build the counter
Counter from the comps, not from your feelings. A few rules I hold to:
- Counter close to where you'd actually sell. Meeting a lowball in the middle rewards the lowball. If the comps support $640,000, your counter should live near $640,000.
- Show your work. Have your agent send two or three recent sold comps with the counter. A buyer's agent who sees the evidence has something to take back to their client.
- Trade terms for price. If the buyer won't move on price, ask for something else: a shorter option period, a larger earnest money deposit, the closing date you need, or the home sold as it sits with no repair requests.
- Keep it short. No lectures, no letters about what you paid for the kitchen. A clean number and clean terms say you're confident.
A worked example
These numbers are illustrative, not a prediction.
You're listed at $650,000. A buyer offers $600,000 and asks you to pay $10,000 toward their closing costs. That's $590,000 to you before your normal selling costs, about 9% under list.
You counter at $641,000 with no concessions and attach three sold comps. The buyer comes back at $628,000. You settle at $634,000 with $4,000 toward closing costs, a seven-day option period, and the closing date that lines up with your next home.
That's $630,000 to you before selling costs. It's $40,000 better than the offer you almost threw away, and the sale price is 97.5% of list, right in line with how Flower Mound homes are actually selling. The buyer who opened with an insult ended up being the buyer.
When to hold firm and when to move
A lowball is information. What you do with it depends on your position.
Hold firm when you've been on the market less than two or three weeks, showings are steady, the comps clearly support your price, and you have time. Redfin's data says the most in-demand Flower Mound homes sell at around list price and go pending in about 17 days. If that's your home, patience is a strategy.
Be ready to move when you've had a month or more of slow traffic, every showing ends with the same feedback, or two different buyers have landed at about the same low number. Two independent buyers agreeing with each other is the market talking. If you'd rather adjust your position without chopping the price, read how to sell without a price cut first.
Watch your own timeline. If you're buying your next home at the same time, every extra month means another mortgage payment, another tax and insurance bill, and a seller on the other side who may not wait. A slightly lower price from a buyer who can close on your date can leave you ahead. Run the math both ways before pride makes the call.
And keep the appraisal in mind. If you do push a financed buyer to a number above what the comps support, the lender's appraiser gets a vote later. Here's what happens when an appraisal comes in low.
Last thing. Be gracious. Proverbs says a gentle answer turns away wrath, and it also keeps buyers at the table. Some of the best closings I've seen started with an offer the seller wanted to tear up.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to respond to a lowball offer in Texas?
No. Texas REALTORS legal guidance says a seller has no legal duty to respond to an offer in any particular way. Your agent still has to present the offer to you, and a short written response usually serves you better than silence because it keeps a possible buyer in the conversation.
What counts as a lowball offer in Flower Mound?
There's no official line. Redfin's August 2026 data shows Flower Mound homes selling for 99.1% of list price on average, with the typical home going about 2% under list. An offer a few percent below asking is normal negotiation. An offer 8% to 10% or more below a price the comps support is what most sellers would call a lowball.
Should I counter a lowball offer or just reject it?
Counter in most cases. A counter near your real number, backed by sold comps, costs you nothing and tells you quickly whether the buyer is serious. Rejecting outright makes sense only when the offer is far from reality and the buyer's terms show no sign of commitment.
Does a counteroffer cancel the buyer's original offer?
Yes. A counteroffer replaces the offer it responds to, so the buyer's original terms are no longer available for you to accept later. If you want to keep your options open, the Seller's Invitation to Buyer to Submit New Offer (TXR 1926) asks for better terms without making a counteroffer.
Can I ask the buyer for a better offer without committing to them?
Yes. The Texas REALTORS Seller's Invitation to Buyer to Submit New Offer tells the buyer which terms would be more acceptable and states that it is not a counteroffer. Your home stays on the market, and you remain free to accept another buyer's offer in the meantime.
A low offer is a starting point, not a verdict
A lowball offer isn't an insult to answer or a number to accept. It's the start of a negotiation you control. Check it against the comps, read the full terms, respond in writing near your real number, and let the buyer show you whether they're serious. Your right answer depends on your home, your days on market, and where you're headed next, and that's exactly where a side-by-side net sheet and a calm second opinion earn their keep.
If you're thinking through a move like this, schedule a free Move-Up Strategy Call ... thirty minutes, no pitch, just a clear-headed look at where you are and what your best next move looks like.
This article is general information, not legal, tax, insurance, or lending advice. Verify your specific situation with your agent, your lender, your title company, and where appropriate a licensed Texas attorney.
About Brian White
Brian White helps families in Northwest DFW make their move-up cleanly, selling and buying in one synchronized step. He built BlueFuse Group on a simple standard: other-first service, proactive at every turn, faith and excellence in equal measure. Brian has been married to Tisha for 27 years and is dad to three adult sons. When he's not protecting a family's equity or untangling a tight closing timeline, you'll find him chasing a round of golf or at Valley Creek Church.
Schedule a Move-Up Strategy Call ... no pitch, just a clear-headed look at your next move.
