Last updated October 13, 2026
Retrading is the cash-offer problem many sellers have lived through without knowing the word for it. The buyer makes a strong offer, gets the house under contract, uses the inspection period to control the timeline, and then asks for a lower price before closing. The seller is left choosing between taking the cut or starting over after losing momentum.
Retrading is when a buyer goes under contract at one price and then asks for a lower price before closing, usually near the end of the inspection or due diligence period. It’s most common with cash investors and wholesalers.
They can ask whenever the contract gives them a way out. If it has an inspection or due diligence period, the buyer can usually cancel during it, and that right is their leverage to ask for a lower price. You don’t have to agree.
Before you sign: a short inspection period, earnest money of 10% or more, narrow cancellation rights, no assignment without your consent and a firm closing date. The clauses to negotiate ↓
A buyer offers $145,000 cash and says the sale is as-is. The seller stops talking to other buyers. During a 14-day inspection window, the buyer brings in a contractor and shops the deal to other investors. On day 12, the buyer says the new number is $125,000.
A retrade is usually no surprise if the contract gave the buyer a long inspection period, tiny earnest money and broad cancellation rights. Those terms are what make it possible.
Not necessarily. “As-is” often means only that you won’t be asked to make repairs. If the contract still has an inspection contingency, the buyer can cancel and use that as leverage. Ask the buyer before you sign: “Does as-is mean no repairs and no price reductions after inspection, or only that you don’t expect me to make repairs?” Then make sure the contract says what they told you.
These decide how cheaply the buyer can walk away, and so how easily they can retrade:
For the questions to ask and how to verify proof of funds, see how to vet a cash buyer.
Slow down and make the buyer show their work. Ask for the specific reason and the documentation behind the new number, such as the inspection report or contractor quote. Then compare it with reality:
You have three choices: accept the new price, counter with your documentation, or decline and go back to market. Saying no is a legitimate answer. Before you decide, know whether you keep the earnest money if the buyer cancels.
Sometimes. If the inspection found a real, material problem that any buyer would price in, a fair adjustment can still be your best path. That’s how I treat repair requests in a listed sale too: a real repair item is negotiated on its own cost. A cut that doesn’t match a documented problem is a retrade, not a repair. For a real negotiation worked through step by step, see the price reduction case study.
Enter the original offer, the new number and the buyer’s repair claims. See what the cut is really based on, and what you would net on the MLS instead.
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Grew up in South St. Louis, lived in Dogtown for 6 years, now in South County. You'll find us at Wellspring on Lindbergh on Sundays. I'm not selling you a house — I'm showing you how to think about buying or selling a house.