that meets your every need. That situation rarely happens, but that doesn’t mean buyers won’t make low-ball 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? Keep your focus and negotiate accordingly.
DO BE QUIET AND LIS T 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. 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 their agent speak first. They may see your silence as disappointment, and choose to revise the offer or offer a concession just to break the silence. Do not let experienced negotiators use this tactic to get you to accept successively lower offers without a counteroffer from you and your agent.
DO LEARN WHAT MOTIVATES THE B TES THE BUYER
Sometimes buying agents will work to learn why you want to sell your home. Agents know that sellers want to go to escrow only once. If the buyer is advised to demand a lower price because of minor defects discovered during a third-party home inspection,
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