Negotiating Secrets & Mantras For anyone who doesn’t have time to read a book — or ten — on real estate negotiation, l can distill what I’ve learned from a decade-plus representing home Sellers (and Buyers!) into two questions, to be asked by would-be Sellers (and their Realtors) at the key juncture(s) of each deal: 1. “What are the...Read More
Overpriced Continuing Education There’s a story about Admiral Hyman Rickover, the famously intimidating Navy Admiral (mentor to Jimmy Carter, among others), and a particularly harsh interviewing technique that he supposedly employed. Namely, Rickover would offer the candidate a chair opposite him that sloped forward uncomfortably, and commence the interview. If the interviewee did not speak up within...Read More
From Dozens of Questions . . . to Just One After all the market analysis, Comp’s, showing feedback, etc., once a Buyer shows up with an offer, there’s really just one question Sellers (and their Realtors) have to contemplate. Namely: ‘Is this offer the best (or close to it) that I can expect to get...Read More
Negotiating 101 I don’t play poker (or do international diplomacy), but my day job — selling residential real estate — does involve a fair amount of negotiating. So, I think I can say with some confidence that good negotiators don’t usually announce, “I don’t bluff,” as President Obama reportedly just said about dealing with Iran’s...Read More
Testing an Unrealistic Seller It seems to be happening a lot in today’s housing market: Buyers find something they like, but — based on the Comp’s — the Seller’s price appears to be high. What to do? One option is to simply wait. Overpriced listings have a way of coming down to earth, and Buyers...Read More
“Shhh! Don’t Tell Anyone My House is for Sale” “Listing agent will not also represent Buyer.” –Clause added to every listing contract I sign If your Realtor will agree to the foregoing clause — as I do on every listing I’ve ever handled — you don’t need to worry about a “pocket listing.” That’s because the Realtor...Read More
