• Where are they moving from? • How does this home compare to other homes?
You shouldn’t be as blunt as that when you’re chatting with the buyers, but you can often find the answers to these questions in a roundabout way. For example, you could say, “You will love our town because of the X (insert a unique feature of your town). Do they have an X where you live now?” That will start the conversation about where they are moving from. You can learn a lot from what they say. It will be helpful during the negotiations. You would be amazed at what some people will tell you.
COMMON NEGOTIATING MISTAKE #2: MEETING IN THE MIDDLE
This is the most common mistake novice home sellers make. It’s the easiest way to sell your home for $10,000 less than you should. “Meeting in the middle” is never a good strategy. The problem is that everyone thinks they have to do it. There is no rule book that says you must meet in the middle. Here’s a story that illustrates this. A home was on the market for $240,000. The buyers made an offer for $220,000. The seller’s agent told him to reject the offer and told the buyers’ agent they should come back with a better offer. (The house had only been on the market two days.) The buyers came back and met in the middle with a $230,000 offer. The seller’s agent knew they were serious buyers who really wanted the house. 45
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