Collen great advice. It's hard sometimes to get buyers to realize this though. I received an amazing deal on my car because I walked away I made my deal gave them a chance to accept and they didnt. Told them you know how to reach me when you want to make the deal happen, I didnt call and actually didnt return 2 of their phone calls then they finally called and said ok lets make it work. :)If you can take emotion out deals can happen.  Your Orlando & Lake Mary Real Estate Expert, HEather Joubran

I agree.  I had a buyer make two offers on an investment property, that were countered on and then rejected by my buyer.  After multiple sale fails on the house, the listing agent called ME and said the seller would now consider the original price we offered.  My buyer was willing to walk, and as a result he "won."

Negotiating is all about knowing when to walk and when to cave.  Someone has to give in order for a deal to come together.  Sellers are just tending to cave more in this market. 

Had this happen.  Buyers came in with a almost ridiculous price.  Sellers lowered slightly.  Buyers wanted more.  Seller said, "I'm in no hurry."  Deal over.  Seller isn't in any rush to lose money and doesn't need to get out quick.  Great post!

Colleen - what a wonderful post!  I did the same thin as Heather, just one year ago this month.  My car ran fine.  I was just ready for a new one.  I walked away from 2 dealers.  The 3rd gave me just what I wanted and delivered the car to my house along with papers for me to sign.  Not once did I walk into a dealers office while I was negotiating.  It was all done over the phone.

I'm glad to see you putting that theory to work in the Real Estate industry!

Nice post.  Buyers in this market think they can do whatever they want and get away with it.  You do bring up a good point going into the deal you have to know what your willing to do and what your not. 

Thank you

Great post and very timely for this market. 

Buyers are getting a bit on the rediculous side.  Fact is, sellers are the ones to price their property. 

Too many buyers seem to believe that they can name their price these days and that isn't so.  Negotiating a price is one thing.  Dictating a price is another. 

Of course, sellers have been very slow in bringing prices down. 

It's rough out there.

Heather & Nancy,  Glad to hear the "girls" are working deals in the auto-world. That is one of my least favorite things to do...buy a new car.

Melina, I think you're right. The trend is definitely for Buyers to walk away right now because there is more from which to choose.

Joyce, I hope the Sellers were able to finally sell. it's a fine line between being unmotivated and unrealistic. Definitely murky waters to navigate :-0

Kevin, & Lenn, I think Buyers do think that, until they come up against a Seller who's not willing to play the game with them. If it's a house they really want, they'll have a tough decision to make.

I think buyers need to stop and think about what constitutes a 'good deal' because to many a good deal boils down to simply price.  Proximity to schools, shopping, layout, amenities, price, etc. all come together to make a particular property a good deal... or not.

If the fictitious buyers wanted the house so bad they willing to pay the sellers asking (negotiated) price, they got a good deal.  Hopefully most can see that once the emotions of negotiations and closing are out of the way.

Jesse & Kathy.....E-x-a-c-t-l-y!!!!!!! It's not always about price. Maybe the best deal was that they even got the house at all. A few listings out there are beginning to see multiple offers again. :-)

My sentiments ecaxtly Colleen! Are you willing to walk away and at what point? If not then negotiate the best you can and like you said, you got what was intended in the first place.  "Let Them Eat Cake" hahahaha

Colleen: We're not seeing multiple offers as often as we did a year ago, but with homes that are priced right and in good condition, it still happens.  We've written many above full price offers over the years; those buyers got a good deal because they got the house they wanted.  The extra $10-$20 a month for 'the' school district, for example made it a good deal for them.

Hi, Colleen! I recently had this exact scenario with a seller. My seller has a clear idea of what he wants to make on his home - he does not HAVE to sell right now. He was willing to be non-emotional and walk away from the negotiation when he saw that we had reached a stalemate. Plus, even though it is a slower time and the holidays, we are still getting very active showings and lots of potential interest, so he saw no need to give in to a lower number at this time.

~Maura Gebhardt