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How To Best Negotiate A House Deal
By Sameer Panjwani

Whether it’s selling your home or buying a home, more often than not you’ll come across a stage where you’d have to negotiate. Negotiation is the art of getting what you want at your terms and conditions. Of course, it isn’t that easy and it takes time and patience especially when it comes to real estate dealings.

So how do you negotiate a good deal for yourself and what are the points you can use to negotiate a deal to your favour. Well here below are some points you should consider:

Comparative market analysis of homes in the area. Ask your real estate agent or find out through other sources what other homes in the area are selling for and what they’ve sold for in the past. Having such figures can keep you in good stead during the negotiation process. It can be advantageous to either party. A seller may quote the price of a neighbourhood home to justify for his price or show that he’s selling for less while a buyer can use such facts and figures to justify for a lower price.

Show no emotion. The more desperate you show yourself to be in concluding the deal, the more likely you are going to be taken advantage of in the negotiation process. They say, ‘he who cares least, wins’ and this is most applicable when it comes to buying and selling a home.

Speak of your other options. By speaking of your other options and telling the other party that you have another buyer who’s also negotiating or another home which you’re interested in, there is a good chance you may push the deal to your favour.

Time factor. Deals can usually be closed much faster by offering or insisting on an earlier closing / possession date. As a buyer, offering to close in on the property and completing all the formalities immediately would greatly influence the owner to have some consideration towards bargaining in your favour. As a seller, if you want to close the deal earlier you may negotiate on the price with the condition that the deal is completed immediately.

Including items. If price is a no-go, then perhaps some of the movable items or appliances may be negotiated as to be included along with the price.

All in all, negotiating comes down to both parties being satisfied with the price and the terms and conditions of the deal. Make sure that everything is documented and signed when making the offers, so as to prevent any misunderstandings or chances of either party backing out in the future.

Coming back to negotiating, feel free to be innovative in your negotiations and you may just find yourself with a better deal than you could’ve initially asked for. Best of luck!

Sameer S Panjwani is the CEO and Founder of ChoiceOfHomes.com - Real estate listings of homes for sale and rent.