Play the Players: Go Directly to the Buyer/Seller
I want to introduce a theme that will recur throughout this book, namely that if you’re a good negotiator, you may want to change the normal system of handling a real estate negotiation. Normally, the buyer/seller uses the real estate agent as the negotiator or intermediary. I’m suggesting that you may want to negotiate directly—-yourself.
Before those old-time real estate agents who know the value of the broker/principal relationship begin to thrash me, let me qualify the above statement. I have long maintained that the average person was far better off letting the real estate agent handle negotiations than trying it by himself or herself. That’s because the average per son is not skilled at negotiation. Discussing a deal can quickly degenerate into a confrontation, people can take things personally, knock heads together, and the deal can go out the window.
However, the assumption that the buyer or the seller or both are not skilled negotiators and the real estate agent is likewise is not always true. If you are a skilled negotiator, you should consider negotiating directly with the seller. See Chapter 12 for more information on this topic.