Paying less than the listing price for a house might seem like a pipe dream in some markets, but for savvy buyers who know what they're doing, it's a very real possibility. That said, making an offer that's lower than the listing price can also be a dangerous game to play if you don't know the rules: You could offend a seller, permanently blacklisting you from a home you love, among other potential penalties that plague low-bidding buyers. How low can you really go when making an offer? Of course, the answer to that question is "it depends" -- on the market, the listing price, the home in question, the seller's motivation, and how the property you're bidding on measures up to others in the area. There's no hard-and-fast rule about how low an offer can be before a seller accepts it, but there are some generally accepted guidelines for making an offer below the listing price that you should be familiar with before you try it yourself.
