Listing Agent Retort: “I’ll Tell You Right After You Tell Me How High the Buyer is Willing to Go” You (almost) never hear a listing agent (representing a Seller) say to a Buyer’s agent at the outset of negotiations: “let’s cut to the chase; what’s the most your Buyer will pay for my client’s property?”...Read More
Verbal Negotiating Traps and Pitfalls Savvy listing agents know how to parry, “Would the Seller consider taking $__?” Namely, by shooting back, “Is the Buyer offering $___?” If the answer is “Yes,” they respond, “Great! Put in writing, and I’ll do my best to get a quick, serious response from the Seller.” If they balk or say...Read More
“Make an Offer! Please!” For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. –Newton’s third law I don’t know about physics, but then I suppose Newton didn’t know about real estate. In real estate, the equivalent to Buyers’ agents who verbally probe for, shall we say, Seller “price flexibility,” are listing agents who troll for showings and offers by intimating...Read More
Permission to Lowball . . . Denied As a listing agent (representing Sellers), I sure seem to be parrying a lot more of what I’ll call “verbal probing” these days. The gist of all the questions being lobbed by Buyers’ agents: “would the Seller consider an offer significantly below the current asking price?” Thrust — and...Read More
Deciphering “Realtor-Speak” I’m sure I’m not the only listing agent out there who’s recently fielded some variation of the following query: “I’ve got an investor who might be interested in your client’s property. Would they be open to something like that?” For those who don’t know Realtor-speak, let me translate: ‘my client would be interested in buying...Read More
