Honing Your Negotiation Skills

Buying or selling a house frequently involves something a lot of people really hate to do – negotiate. They worry about coming off as too pushy or too weak, fear they’ll get the short end of the stick, or think that somehow the whole deal will fall through if they don’t do everything “right.”

Fortunately, employing a real estate agent eases many of these concerns. An experienced professional acting on your behalf aids in moving the whole process along. Go-between, sounding board, source of knowledge, and maybe even a bit of a therapist, a good REALTOR® realizes the impact of this transaction on your future and does whatever is needed to assist.

Ultimate decisions are yours, however. Be ready to partake in the negotiation process through the following actions:

Establish your priorities.

Most people don’t walk away from negotiations with everything they’d like. Thus, it helps to know what things are most important to you. Perhaps you really want to close by the end of July so that your kids can enter their new school when it opens in the fall. Convey such must-haves to your agent.

Remember that it doesn’t hurt to ask.

Would you be more likely to sign on the dotted line if that old furnace got replaced? Bring up the subject. The seller could say “no,” which puts the ball back in your court to judge overall importance. Or, he might say, “Sure, if that means we can seal the deal today.”

Don’t think in terms of winners and losers.

Finally, resist seeing buying and selling as an adversarial situation. Rather, view it as a collaborative process in which both sides are seeking a fair outcome. You’re not out to build a friendship, but you can be cordial and hope that everyone walks away feeling generally positive.

Are You Buying a Home or Land for Sale in Lake City?

If you’re moving to Lake City, we can help you find the perfect place to live. Call us at 386-243-0124 to tell us what you want from your home and we will begin searching right away.

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