that doesn’t mean buyers won’t make lowball offers. If they see your house as the perfect home, they may switch their priority to getting a lower-than-market-value price in negotiations. If buyers truly like your home better than any others, then why would they pay less for it? On the other hand, it’s easy for a seller to become overconfident and turn down any initial offer — even a reasonable one. Stay focused on your goals, know what your home is truly worth, and negotiate accordingly.
Do: Be quiet and listen
Whether you are approached by the buyer or the buyer’s agent, remaining quiet is one of the best ways to negotiate the sale. Developing a feel-good, overly friendly relationship with either can interfere with your focused efforts to sell your home quickly and for a fair price to avoid foreclosure. Buyers uncomfortable with your quietness may want to break the silence by giving information that would be crucial to know. Again, the more knowledgeable you are about the buyer — rather than the other way around — the better poised you will be in negotiations.
Don’t: Be moved by awkward silence
When you are negotiating, and the buyer makes an offer, don’t feel compelled to respond immediately. Whether it be 10 seconds or 10 minutes, make the buyer or his agent speak first. They might see your silence as disappointment and choose to revise their bid or offer you a concession just to break the silence. Don’t let experienced negotiators use this tactic to get you to accept successively lower offers without a counteroffer from you or your agent.
Do: Learn what motivates the buyer
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