favor. Maximize your negotiating by counteroffering in small increments. DON’T accept lowball offers: Home buyers look for deals. If they see your house as the perfect home, they might try to get a lower- than-market-value price in negotiations. But remember, if buyers honestly like your home best, then why would they pay less for it? Keep focused and negotiate accordingly. DON’T over-share: We’ve talked about this in the section on common mistakes made by sellers during negotiations. Don’t give away information freely. If you reveal more than you should, you could lose the upper hand and have to make more concessions than you planned during negotiations. So be careful what you say. Less is more. For example, if you have multiple offers on your home, the price is not always the bottom line. Sometimes what you tell the buyer is advantageous to their offer, rather than your selling position. DON’T let your ego get in the way: Buyers can have inflated egos, but so can sellers. In negotiations, you might be reminded of all the time, effort, and money you invested in getting your beloved home sold so you could downsize and enter the next stage of your life. But many buyers just won’t care. Some might even be critical, demanding, or rude. Learn to treat potential home buyers objectively. Don’t let your ego get in the way of a good deal. DON’T be afraid to answer tough questions: Buyers will ask questions about the home; there’s no getting around this. They want to be sure of their major purchase. The best way to handle a tough question without giving out too much information is to answer with another question. For example, if they ask you whether your home has been on the market long, simply answer imprecisely—“not long”—then
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