house sale. Do not become best friends with the buyer, do not let the fact the buyer is a single mother and you want to help her out, get in the way of your best price negotiation. Do not let a low-ball offer cause you to respond with an above-listing price counteroffer. In fact, keep your emotions at bay during the entire showing and negotiating process. Hard as it might be to stay silent and keep your mouth shut during the greater part of home-showing and price-negotiating, make use of a technique called “negotiating silence” to keep negotiations on track for you. For instance, there will be times of discomfort during negotiations, whether in coming to terms on a price or conditions of the sale (the bargaining chips like an electric box upgrade or leaving/not leaving appliances, etc.). It is hard to stand and listen to a buyer “picking” at your home to justify offering as little as might bring about the sale. If you are uncomfortable, the other party too could feel the same way. During these moments, let a negotiating silence prevail. Most people will fill a conversation void; this is when concessions may be had. The outcome of this situation could be the other party will weaken and make a concession to break the uncomfortable silence. You may get a better deal, or at least learn something useful.
Stay Well Informed
In 95% of negotiations occurring between experienced negotiators, the more informed party is the most likely to walk away with the better outcome. Think in advance of different scenarios you might encounter in selling your home. For instance, if the house has a worn roof, this might be expected to be a “bargaining chip.” The uninformed buyer might “guesstimate” a new roof will cost $15,000 and deducts this from his offer. However, having seen the issue coming, you have a
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