CHAPTER 14 Be a Power Negotiat er Negotiator
Negotiating the sale of your home does not have to be intimidating. By learning how real estate negotiations work and how to apply proven techniques, you can get the price you want from the buyers. GET YOUR OWN HOUSE IN ORDER FIRST You can have the right agent, the right buyer, and the right price, but if you’re mired in a constant state of animosity and angry confrontations with your ex- or soon-to-be-ex-spouse, it will have an impact, not only on you, but on your real estate agent and possibly on your buyer as well. The first negotiation that needs to take place is the one between you and your ex-spouse to create a new kind of relationship: a business relationship, based upon cooperation and good faith and a mutual desire to sell the house. Focus on making compromises, reaching a fair deal, and sticking with it. Consult a professional attorney or mediator to help you make joint decisions about how offers on your house will be considered and negotiated. Be sure to discuss, in advance, how any needed repairs that are uncovered by an inspection or buyer’s request will be handled. If you are in disagreement with your ex-spouse over what fixtures or decorations should or shouldn’t be removed from the house, make certain that you have that all ironed out before the house ever goes on the market. Simple things, like chandeliers or custom window dressings, that come up at the last minute can single-handedly tank a sale.
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