As I said in my last post, "The trick to negotiating is getting more information. Typically the person that knows the most information has the biggest advantage. What's the best way to get more information?  Ask good questions.

By asking questions right up front, you'll learn what's important to the other side. You may find that price is not the most important thing to the seller. They may need to stay in their current house for a few more months until their new home is finished being built. You could uncover additional information like the seller is VERY motivated to sell quickly because of a job transfer.  You may find the buyer is very motivated because they have an offer on their current home and have to find something fast.

Below is a short list of a few questions that I typically ask.  These questions are assuming I'm speaking to the agent on the other side of the transaction and assumes we're at the begining stages of the offer.

I would LOVE to hear other questions that some of you use, so please feel free to read through my list and then post your own "questions".

WHEN I'M THE LISTING AGENT - QUESTIONS TO THE BUYERS AGENT:

How many homes have you shown them? The answer to this question should give you a good feel for how much the buyers want this particular house. I actually had a buyers agent tell me, "Oh I'm sure I've shown them about 30 homes. They just can't find ANYTHING they like as much as your listing". The buyers ended up paying my sellers asking price on this deal.

What features did they like about this home?  Again, you're looking for something they can't get in another home. They loved the kitchen, the backyard, that it's so close to the elementary school. Anything that gives you a sense that they must have THIS house.

How long have you been working with this client?  This one may sound odd, but you never know what information they might give you. Maybe they've been working with this client for months and simply want to get them under contract. Maybe they just met them two days ago. This question will give me a good sense of how well they may know their client and the relationship they have with them. 

Where are the buyers living at currently?  Are they renting and can move at any time?  Are they moving here from out of state?  Maybe their current lease is up at the end of the month and they need to find something quickly.

WHEN I'M THE BUYERS AGENT - QUESTIONS TO THE LISTING AGENT:

Where are the sellers moving to?  Most agents will ask "Why are they selling this house?" This is an obvious question that tells everyone you're "fishing" for information.  Instead, ask "Where are the sellers moving?"  This question sounds more innocent and will typically reveal the reason they're selling the house. They're moving out of state, they're moving to a newly built home and it's almost finished, etc.  You'd be surprised at how many times the listing agent will tell me "the sellers are getting a divorce".  It's an open ended question that they can't answer with a simple Yes or No.

Are they firm on their current asking price?  Some of you may think this is a stupid question, but you might be surprised at the answers I get for this one. They usually start out with, "Well, just between you and me".  Enough said.

How's your business doing?  This question is to uncover a sense of how badly this particular agent needs to close a sale. It's also used to lead into my next question of, "Has this listing given you a lot of trouble?" Again, I'm just trying to get information. I'm not forcing them to tell me anything, but if they're willing to pour their heart out to me, I'll certainly listen.

Well this is the SHORT LIST of some questions that I use.  Give me some questions you might ask.