We all know that we are supposed to represent our client's best interest and I've been to plenty of seminars and read plenty of blog posts about how Realtors are not supposed to show their hand to the other guy. Things like "I'm sorry this offer is so low. It's what they buyer told me to put." or "Hey, I know this offer stinks but see if you can't get a counter offer."
No. We're supposed to represent exactly what's on the paper and hope the other Realtor can "read between the lines."
The fact is that even if I could read between the lines, many times the negotiation is a two-step dance. An offer comes over. A counter-offer goes back. Accept/Reject. Dance over.
Wait a minute!! Doesn't your client want the house? Didn't they at least get a little excited about the neighborhood or the number of bedrooms and baths or hardwood floor or fireplace or tons of storage or whatever? Or is there really that many houses that are in move-in condition without the need for 6 months of waiting and begging some loss mitagator to push some paperwork through?
Whatever happened to negotiation? If you're not super happy with the offer/counter offer, send me something that makes you happy. If we're $5,000 apart come back to me with something, don't just go away. There used to be a time when Realtors would go back and forth quite a bit before the Seller and Buyer agreed to all the terms. Heck, sometimes a Seller will finally say OK just to be done with it or they may think, "Gee. They must want to live here."
Of course, I understand that Buyers want to "steal" homes because the media is constantly telling them prices are declining and there are tons of short sales and foreclosures. Yes, I know Sellers don't want to "give it away" or "needs [x] dollars".
As I see it, Realtors need to have a sit down with their clients to go over the positive aspects of making a transaction work once the initial offer has been signed and delivered. After all the marketing stuff we do, negotiation is supposed to be part of the value we bring to the table. But you can't negotiate with people who have a" take it or leave it" approach.
I remember representing a buyer about 5 years ago. The guy liked the house, he was fully qualified to purchase and he had a time limitation to buy. He was one motivated buyer. He also wanted to get the best terms for himself and family. We went back and forth six times with the listing agent /Seller before arriving at the final, fully executed Contract of Sale. It worked. The Seller got what he wanted. The Buyer got what he wanted. Everybody lived happily ever after...including the Realtors. And because I didn't tell the Buyer "let's move on" or "this isn't working", he came back to me 5 years later to sell his home when he and his family relocated.
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