Can you match this offer?
Handle lender requests to see competitor offers when mortgage shopping. Maintain your negotiating position while getting the best rate.
What You'll Learn in This Chapter
- Why lenders who promise to match anything rarely give their best price upfront
- How the match-anything promise gives lenders all the leverage and you none
- Scripts to get genuine competitive offers instead of reactive matching
You ask a lender for their best rate quote. Instead of providing their best offer, the lender deflects with match promises and competitive positioning.
But, here's what's really happening...
"The Match-Anything Promise" is a reactive pricing strategy that uses match promises, competitive necessity claims, or flexibility appeals to avoid competitive risk. The loan officer's process is to promise flexibility while collecting competitor pricing data, allowing them to price just marginally better than your best offer without revealing how much lower they could actually go.
As a shopper, your counter-process is to demand proactive pricing from all lenders simultaneously. A lender who promises to match anything is admitting they have pricing flexibility—so they should be competing with their best terms first, not waiting to see what minimum offer wins your business. When lenders promise to match anything, they're saying: "I don't want to compete fairly—I want to see everyone's cards first."
Now that you understand the tactic, let's look at the three most common angles lenders use to avoid providing their best offer upfront.
➡ Three Ways Lenders Avoid Providing Best Offers Upfront
Angle 1: Reactive Pricing Request
Lender says: "I can't give you my best offer without seeing what I'm competing against. Show me what they quoted you, and I'll beat it."
Most people respond: "Here's what the other lender quoted me. Can you beat it?"
Don't do that. This lender is framing reactive pricing as necessary for competitiveness, but they're actually avoiding competitive risk. By showing them your best offer first, you've eliminated their need to compete aggressively—they'll only beat your current offer by the minimum margin necessary. A lender with competitive pricing should be willing to provide their best terms without seeing competitor benchmarks first.
Angle 2: Flexibility Promise
Lender says: "I'd be happy to match any written offer you have. That's how confident I am in our pricing. Just show me what you have, and I'll take care of you."
Most people respond: "That's great! Here's the Loan Estimate from the other lender."
Don't do that. This lender is using confidence and flexibility as justification to see your best offer before revealing their own pricing. While flexibility sounds appealing, a truly confident lender would provide their best offer first and let the numbers speak for themselves. By showing your hand first, you've turned a competitive auction into a price-matching exercise where they control the floor.
Angle 3: Competitive Necessity
Lender says: "Don't you want me to give you the best deal? I need to see what I'm competing against so I can make sure I'm giving you my absolute best offer."
Most people respond: "Yes, I want the best deal. Here's what the other lender quoted me."
Don't do that. This lender is framing your best offer disclosure as necessary for them to provide their best pricing—implying they can't compete without seeing competitor benchmarks. This is false. Lenders know their own pricing flexibility and can provide best-effort offers without seeing competitors' cards. By accepting this framing, you've given them the exact information they need to price minimally better.
The Pattern
Notice that in all three scenarios, the lender successfully avoided providing their best offer by making you show your hand first. Demand proactive pricing from all lenders before revealing any competitor information.
➡ What You Should Say Instead
Regardless of which match-promise angle the lender uses, your response remains the same:
I appreciate that you want to be competitive, but I'd prefer to get your best written offer first, then I'll compare all the Loan Estimates I receive. Can you provide me with a written Loan Estimate that includes the interest rate, monthly payment, and all closing costs?
Here's why this response works for all three angles:
- For Angle 1 (Reactive Pricing Request): Demands proactive pricing instead of reactive matching
- For Angle 2 (Flexibility Promise): Tests their confidence by requesting their best offer first
- For Angle 3 (Competitive Necessity): Rejects the premise that they need competitor benchmarks to compete
The script rejects the match-anything framework and insists on genuine competitive offers from every lender.
➡ See The Mortgage Script in Action
➡ Key Takeaway
Lenders who promise to match anything are admitting they have pricing flexibility. Make them compete with their best offer first, not after seeing everyone else's cards.
Related Mortgage Resources
Instantly Unlock 36 Chapters to Flip The Script on Your Lender
Get instant access to the complete Flip the Script playbook with exact responses for every lender tactic.
By submitting, you agree to receive Homebuyer.com emails.
