So, how do you find sellers who are willing to negotiate on price? I have a 3-person property team whose job is to go looking for investment properties for Opes’ clients.

Here's what we've found works:

Tip #1 – Look at the stale listings

If a property was listed online yesterday, the seller probably still hopes for a high price.

They’re still imagining three buyers fighting over it. So they often think: “I’m not taking a low-ball offer. Let’s just see what happens.”

So if you’re on realestate.co.nz, sort the listings by most recent. Then scroll to the end and look for properties sitting there the longest.

You’re not just looking for cheap, you’re looking for negotiable.

Sometimes my property team specifically looks for developers who are struggling to find buyers. That’s where they swoop in and start to negotiate.

Tip #2 – Look at what other properties are selling for

If a house is asking $700k, but similar homes nearby have recently sold for $670k, you’ve got a reason to offer less.

That’s very different from throwing in $550k and hoping the vendor is desperate.

You can find out what houses are selling for free using Realestate.co.nz’s sold section.

This is useful in the sense that agents will do the opposite. They will advertise a property as “enquiries over $700k” when actually they want $800,000.

So looking at what has sold will help you have the right expectations.

Tip #3 – Don’t just negotiate on price

Sometimes the best offer isn’t the highest offer.

Sometimes it’s the cleanest, the fastest, or the one that solves the seller’s problem.

So ask the real estate agent: “Other than price, what does the seller really care about?”

They might want a long settlement because they haven’t found their next home yet. Or they might want the cash quickly.

At Opes, we help hundreds of investors per year buy an investment property. That scale helps us negotiate prices and deals that work for those investors.

So, are Kiwi home sellers open to low-ball offers?

Maybe. But don’t start shaving $30k off every property you see just yet.

Remember, only about 5% of listings had their asking price reduced.

The trick with negotiation is to find a seller willing to negotiate.

Once you've found a property and wondering “is it actually worth buying?” That's when you head into Opes+ (our free app for property investors) to check the Opes Property rating.

This shows you if a property could be a High Opportunity, Standard Opportunity, or Requires Review.