I just submitted an offer so low I actually apologized to the listing agent before sending it. My buyers found a house listed at $475,000 and told me to write it up at $310,000. I showed them the comps. I showed them what sold last month literally two streets over. I explained that the sellers just dropped the price and it's already competitive. They looked me dead in the eye and said, "You never know unless you try." So I tried. I wrote the most professionally worded insult of an offer I've ever composed. The listing agent called me within twenty minutes, laughing so hard I thought she was crying. She asked if my buyers had accidentally added an extra digit somewhere and gotten confused. I told her no, they just "really love the neighborhood but have a firm budget." The sellers didn't even counter. They just sent back a one-line response: "No." My buyers were genuinely shocked. They asked if we should go up to $320,000 to "show we're serious." I'm going to need more coffee. Or a new career. Possibly both.