Listening is always better than talking. One of the cardinal sins of negotiating is telling your life story. The more you share, the more leverage the other party has. For example, if you explain that you really want to sell before your new job starts in another city, the buyer might submit a lowball offer because they know you’re desperate—and you might take it instead of negotiating because, well, you are a bit desperate. Without that information, it’s completely possible the buyer might’ve submitted an offer at or near asking price. If they ask why you’re moving, you can simply say, “We’d like a bigger home” or “Colorado is calling to us.” No details necessary, especially if they might make you sound desperate to sell! Next, there’s a pair of related mistakes: expecting the process to go smoothly and letting emotions take over. Let’s be honest: selling a house is complex, and there’s a lot at stake. The best way I know to handle the twists and turns is to learn as much as you can about the process in advance. This will help you go with the flow when complications come up, which will keep you calmer and more level-headed, which will definitely help you make better decisions during negotiations. You also don’t want the seller to play on your emotions. If a buyer tells us about a difficult time they’re going through or a tragedy they’ve overcome, it’s natural for us to feel bad and want to help. By all means, show them compassion, but don’t let it interfere with the negotiating process. Giving them a fair deal on a good home is all that’s required of you, and remember that you need the money from the sale for valid reasons, too. Along with those emotions comes the next negotiation error: letting your ego outweigh your goal. Your goal is to sell your home as quickly as possible for the most money you can get, right? Focus on that, not the offensively low offer or the obnoxious buyer. Again, keep your emotions in check, no matter what’s coming at
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