September 10, 2026- Certain home price brackets are competitive, no matter what is happening in the market as a whole. First-time home buyers shopping for entry level, single family homes, feel this the most, going head to head with investors who can move fast and offer cash. Having an agent who knows the market, and knows how to spot an opportunity, is often the difference between winning the house and starting the search all over again.
Four Rejected Offers Before the Right Agent
One buyer came to LKR REALTOR® Emily Farber after four rejected offers with a previous agent. It wasn’t that his old agent did anything wrong. He simply didn’t yet understand what it actually takes to compete in the current Iowa City market. Emily is direct. She told him exactly what he was up against and didn’t sugarcoat it. He agreed to stay open to her advice, and they got to work.
They toured houses across his first-time buyer budget, found ones in decent shape, and wrote another strong offer. It still wasn’t enough to win, and Emily was honest about why. Taking the offer to a winning level meant stepping outside his comfort zone, and he wasn’t ready yet. So they kept looking.
Emily Farber in a home for sale in Iowa City
The Listing Everyone Else Skipped
Emily never stops watching the market, and one day she found a home that had been sitting for too long. The photos were rough. Most buyers would have scrolled past it. Emily read the agent’s remarks instead, and found a note many missed, because it was added after the fact: the seller was willing to come down $29,000 on price.
She called the listing agent to ask why previous offers hadn’t been accepted. The answer surprised her. The sellers weren’t holding out for a higher number. They didn’t want to sell to flippers or investors. They wanted a first-time homeowner to have the house.
Emily had exactly that client. She brought him to see the “ugly duckling” and was upfront that it needed new flooring and paint. But she also pulled comps for the area and showed him the math: with cosmetic work, paint, flooring, and appliances, he’d be sitting on close to $100,000 in equity.
Writing the Winning Offer
They wrote the offer, competed again, and this time, they won. Inspections turned up plenty, and Emily didn’t hold back there either, asking for a new deck among other repairs. Rather than blowing up the deal, it landed him the house at a price that left room to make the updates himself, with strong equity built in from day one.
What This Story Actually Teaches Buyers and Sellers
A few things made this deal happen that go beyond luck:
- Reading the fine print. The seller’s willingness to negotiate was buried in the agent remarks, not the headline price.
- Real conversations between agents. A phone call uncovered what the sellers actually wanted, which wasn’t just the highest number.
- Knowing the client’s story, and telling it. Sellers had a preference for a first-time buyer, and Emily made sure they knew exactly who was making the offer.
- The courage to advocate hard, even on inspection items, without losing sight of what actually mattered to both sides.
Occasionally sellers aren’t only after the highest price they can get. Sometimes they just want to create opportunities for someone else. Finding those opportunities takes an agent who talks to other agents, watches stale listings for the unicorn remark, and has the experience to write an offer that fits the moment. The sixth offer was the winning ticket, for this first time homebuyer.
Congratulations to Emily Farber’s client on the start of his homeownership journey.
Emily Farber, REALTOR®
Ready?
If you’re a first-time buyer feeling outmatched in this market, or a seller wondering how to find the right buyer instead of just the highest bidder, connect with an LKR REALTOR® near you. We know this market, and we know how to find the opportunities other agents scroll past.