Negotiating a Sales Agreement: Other Contingencies I used to know a builder who always said, “1 don’t care what the sales agreement says, as long as there’s a ‘subject to’ in it.” He was, of course, referring to a contingency clause, a condition that said the sale was subject to the occurrence of some action … Read more
Negotiating a Sales Agreement: The Final Walk-Through Most sales agreements today provide for a final walk-through by the buyer, usually the day before the deal closes (when title transfers, the seller gets the money, and the buyer gets the house). The reason this walk-through came about, as have so many other things in real estate, … Read more
Negotiate the Commission: How Does the Commission Impact the Agent’s Role in Selling? What does an agent do for you? A good active real estate agent who makes a concerted effort to sell your property will do the following. Besides the obvious sales tools such as placing advertising in news papers, holding open houses, putting … Read more
Negotiate the Commission: Will You Get What You Pay For? At the onset, it’s important to keep track of what you want out of listing your house with an agent. While, of course, you want to pay as little as you can, on the other hand you also want to sell your property as soon … Read more
Negotiate the Commission I have a good friend who to this day is fond of recalling the first time he ever listed a house with an agent. “She came in, we talked a little while, and then she said she wanted a 7 percent commission. I was flabbergasted. I knew that other agents in the … Read more
Walk Away a Winner: Sellers – Stick to Your Guns In a hot market, as a seller you want to get the highest price you can. That means using a variety of strategies, some sound . . . some not so sound. First off, however, you need to know just what your home is worth. … Read more
Walk Away a Winner – Buyers – Look for Fixers As a buyer, one way to sometimes get a lower price is to find a lesser quality house. Just as not all peaches are created equal, neither are all properties. Ripe, round peaches with a fresh aroma and a perfect skin (no bruises) will command … Read more
Walk Away a Winner – Negotiating in a Hot Market If you’re a buyer in a very hot market, here are some tactics you can use to get the house you want. Act Quickly. It’s the early bird that gets the worm in a hot market. Often if your offer gets there before others, particularly … Read more
How to Win a Bidding War: Buyers – Load Your Weapons If you’re a buyer in a hot seller’s market, you need to arm yourself for negotiating warfare. You have four weapons at your disposal, and all of them must be ready. Market Knowledge: What Should the Home Sell For? In order to be competitive … Read more
Walk Away a Winner – Walking Away a Winner Is No Baloney The gospel of negotiators has always been that a good deal means that both sides win. I get what I want and you get what you want. However, this does not mean that each side comes away with what they wanted at the … Read more
