I go over this fact at every listing appointment-in fact, I've been going over it for the past few years. 

             "When an offer comes in, expect the buyer to request closing costs.  In today's low interest rate environment, it's a smart use of money and a smart way to arbitrage.  Not to mention that we have many buyers in the marketplace who have great credit and NO available cash."

Now, I'm not talking about jacking the price up to a place where it won't appraise.  I'm talking about a situation, which is normal for the real estate market in Charlotte NC, where the seller pays closing costs on behalf of the buyer instead of taking it off the listing price.

And once in a while, when an offer comes in, I have to talk another seller down off the rooftop because they're so MAD that this buyer would even DREAM of asking for their closing costs to be paid!

Folks, stop taking this so damn personally.  The buyer is being INTELLIGENT with his money.  He's not taking cash out of your pocket-instead, he's financing his closing costs into HIS loan.  After all, folks stay in their Charlotte NC area houses an AVERAGE of 47.5 months.  That's not enough time to break even on paying closing costs out of pocket, so you ask the seller to pay it at closing.

You have to take a step back and look at it this way.  The critical piece of information to YOU is your bottom line when it's all said and done, correct?  So take that sales price and subtract the closing costs to determine your net offer price.  Here's an example:

• Offer price $200,000
• Buyer request closing costs of $5,000
• Seller's net price on the house?  $195,000  (and then you subtract the other normal seller expenses, as I showed you on the original net sheet when we list the house and again at the time we receive an offer)

This is the SAME THING as the buyer offering you $195,000 (with the exception of the additional $2.50 you'll pay in revenue stamps and the additional money in commission-a nominal amount). 

If you're willing to take $195,000 for the house, then don't lose a buyer-take $200,000 and pay $5,000 in closing costs.  Buyers are not around every corner right now.   Houses are still selling, but not at the same clip as earlier in 2007.  Be flexible. Work with the buyer.  And never forget that the buyer has a lot of other houses to choose from, if you're going to be stubborn.

And remember-one of the reasons you hired me in the first place was to provide professional counsel, yes?  Then LISTEN TO ME for heaven's sake.    If this buyer goes away, I can't tell you when we'll replace them. 

That next offer?  When it does appear?  It will be asking for closing costs, nine times out of ten.  And how many more mortgage payments will you have made in the interim?  Think about it.