Resources · Making lowball offers that actually close
Lowball offer scripts: phone, voicemail, email and reply text
Updated · by the LowBaller team
A good lowball offer script does four things in order: names why you are calling, asks the seller what they need, states a cash number with one reason, and sets the next step. Use a phone opener for owners with a legally callable number, a voicemail when they miss it, and an email for everyone with an address. Below are word-for-word scripts for each, a reply text for the one case where texting is fine, and an objection table for the lines that usually end the call.
One rule first. Do not cold text. Texts go only to owners who texted you or asked you to text them. Everything below is built around that.
Which channel to use for a lowball offer
Your list decides your channel more than your preference does. In one hard-distress list LowBaller measured in July 2026, 100 properties produced about 26 individual owners, about 23 emails and about 15 phones that were legally callable after Do-Not-Call filtering. The rest were companies, trusts, estates or records with no name, which you reach by mail.
So mail and email are the backbone, calls go where they are allowed, and texts are replies only. LowBaller unlocks return the owner's phone only after Do-Not-Call filtering and drop stale numbers, and owners with only an email unlock free. For a deeper comparison, see mail vs texting vs calling for sellers.
What 100 hard-distress properties yield
The rest: companies, trusts, estates or no name
| Channel | When you can use it | Rules | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Always | Real name and address; never mimic an official notice | Every owner, including LLCs, trusts and estates | |
| Phone call | Number passed Do-Not-Call filtering | Manual dial, 8am to 9pm owner's local time | Individual owners with callable numbers |
| Voicemail | After a permitted manual call | Short, name and number, no pressure | Owners who miss the call |
| When an address is found | Honest subject, mailing address, opt-out (CAN-SPAM) | Owners who prefer to read first | |
| Text | Only after the owner replied or asked for texts | Never cold; stop on request | Scheduling with engaged sellers |
Lowball offer phone script
Use this on a manual call to a number that passed Do-Not-Call filtering, between 8am and 9pm the owner's local time. Some states set narrower hours or extra rules, so check yours.
Opener: Hi, is this [Owner first name]? This is [Your name] with [Company]. I buy houses for cash in [City], and I am calling about [Property address]. Is now an okay time for two minutes?
Reason: Thank you. I saw that [the house has been empty for a while / the taxes are behind / it has been listed for a few months]. I do not want to assume anything. Is selling something you have thought about?
Their number first: What would you need to walk away with for a sale to make sense? Then stop and listen. Their answer shows you the gap before you say a word about price.
Your offer: Based on [the repairs it needs] and a cash close on your date, I can pay [Start bid]. No repairs, no showings, no commission on my side, and you pick the closing date. How does that sit with you?
Next step: I will send that in writing today so you can look it over or show someone you trust. Can I call you on [day] to hear what you think?
If they are not interested: Understood, and thank you for your time. Would you like me to take your number off my list? If they say yes, remove it that day.
Voicemail script for a lowball offer
Keep it under 30 seconds and leave the price out. A number with no context sounds like a scam on a voicemail.
Voicemail: Hi [Owner first name], this is [Your name] with [Company]. I am a local cash buyer calling about [Property address]. If you have thought about selling, I would like to make you a simple cash offer, as-is, on your timeline. My number is [Phone], again, [Phone]. If you would rather not hear from me, let me know and I will not call again. Thanks.
Leave one voicemail per attempt and space attempts days apart. After two or three, switch to mail or email.
Never cold text
Marketing texts sent without the owner's prior consent can violate the TCPA, with statutory damages of $500 to $1,500 per message, and some states add rules of their own. Text only owners who replied to you first or asked for texts.
How to make a lowball offer by email
In that measured list, email reached more owners than the phone (23 vs 15 per 100 properties), and it lets the seller read your reasoning without pressure. Treat it as commercial email under CAN-SPAM: an honest subject line, your physical mailing address and a working opt-out you honor.
Subject: Cash offer for [Property address]
Email: Hi [Owner first name], I am [Your name], a cash buyer in [City], and I am writing about [Property address]. [County records show the property taxes are past due. / The home has been on the market for 120 days. / It looks like the house has been empty for a while.]
If selling would help, I can pay [Start bid] in cash and buy it as-is. You would not repair, clean or show anything, there is no commission on my side, and you choose the closing date. The sale would close through [Title company or attorney].
If that number does not work, tell me what would. I would rather hear your number than guess. You can reply here or call me at [Phone].
If you would prefer I not contact you, reply and say so, and I will remove you. [Your name], [Company], [Mailing address]
For printed versions by seller situation, use these lowball offer letter templates.
Reply text script (only after the seller texts first)
Text only when the owner has texted you first or has asked you to text them. Then keep it short, useful and easy to stop.
Reply text: Thanks for getting back to me, [Owner first name]. This is [Your name] about [Property address]. Happy to put a cash offer in writing. Is there a good time for a 5-minute call today or tomorrow? Reply STOP and I will not text again.
After a call: I sent the written offer for [Property address] to your email: [Offer] cash, as-is, closing on [date you chose]. Text or call me here with any questions.
If they reply stop, stop, log it, and do not contact them on any channel they asked you not to use.
Objection handling for lowball offers
Lowball calls tend to stall on a handful of lines. Here is what each one usually means and a calm reply. If the seller comes back with a number, switch to what to do when the seller counters.
| Seller says | What it often means | What to say |
|---|---|---|
| That's insulting. | No reason was given | That's fair to push back on. Can I show you how I got there? Repairs, a cash close, no commission. |
| Online estimates say it's worth more. | They anchor on retail value | It may sell for that after repairs and a few months. My number is what you net as-is, this month. |
| I need to talk to my spouse. | Real, or a soft no | Of course. I'll send it in writing. Would Thursday work to talk with you both? |
| I owe more than that. | Your number is under the payoff | Thank you for telling me. What is the payoff? If I can't clear it, I'll tell you honestly. |
| Other investors offered more. | Testing you, or true | Then take the best real offer. Ask if theirs is cash, as-is, with proof of funds. Mine is. |
| I'm not in a hurry. | No pressure yet | Understood. Can I check back in a month in case anything changes? |
| Just send me your best number. | They want a ceiling | I'll send my number in writing. If it doesn't work, tell me yours and we'll see if there's a fit. |
How to run a lowball offer call, step by step
- 1
Check that the number is callable
Confirm it passed Do-Not-Call filtering and that it is between 8am and 9pm where the owner lives. Dial by hand.
- 2
Know their payoff before you dial
Pull the county record for filings, loans and taxes so your number can clear what they owe. Test it in the lowball offer calculator.
- 3
Open with the situation and ask permission
Name the property and why you are calling, then ask if they have two minutes.
- 4
Get their number first
Ask what they need to walk away with. Their answer shows you the gap before you speak.
- 5
State your start bid once
Give the number with one reason and the certainty you offer, then stop talking.
- 6
Put it in writing the same day
Email or mail the offer, and book the next call before you hang up.
- 7
Log the result
Record the outcome, the next date and any opt-out, for example in the stage and notes of LowBaller's My deals.
Frequently asked questions
What do you say when making a lowball offer?
Name why you are calling, ask what the seller needs, then state your number once with one reason and the certainty you offer: cash, as-is, no commission and their closing date. For example: based on the repairs and a cash close on your date, I can pay $180,000. Then stop talking and listen.
How do you write a lowball offer email?
Use a plain subject such as Cash offer for 123 Main Street. In the body, name the seller's situation neutrally, state your cash number and terms, invite their number, and sign with your name, phone and mailing address. Include a clear way to opt out, as US commercial email rules require.
Can I text a seller a lowball offer?
Not as a first contact. Marketing texts sent without the owner's prior consent can violate the TCPA, with statutory damages of $500 to $1,500 per message, and some states add their own rules. Text only owners who texted you first or asked you to, and stop the moment they say stop.
What time can you call a motivated seller?
Call between 8am and 9pm in the owner's local time, which is the federal window for telemarketing calls, and only to numbers that passed Do-Not-Call filtering. Some states set narrower hours or extra rules. Dial manually, identify yourself and your company, and remove anyone who asks right away.
What do you say when a seller says your offer is insulting?
Acknowledge it and explain, without defending or raising your number. Say something like: that's fair to push back on, can I show you how I got there? Then walk through the repairs, the cash close and the costs they avoid. Ask what number would work for them before you move.
Put this to work in your market.
Scan any US ZIP and see every motivated seller near you, ranked hardest-first.
Find motivated sellersKeep reading
- Lowball offer letter: 7 copy-paste templates by seller situation
- Cold calling motivated sellers: the first 30 seconds
- How to lowball without offending the seller (and when it is rude)
- Seller countered your lowball offer? The counter math, scripts and when to walk
- Direct mail vs SMS vs calling: what converts