When I was moving from my apartment into my house alot of my furniture and knick knacks 
were never going to "fit in" to my new decor. So I decide that instead of my just tossing my good "junk", I would sell it. In my history, I never held a garage sale and at this point in my life, I never even went to a garage sale, so I was in for a rude awakening, little did I know how my feelings would get stomped on. Did I know that holding a garage sale, I would have to be thick skinned?
The weeks prior to my big garage sale debut, as I was packing boxes that would me making the move and I was simultaneously packing boxes that would never make it to my new abode. I sorted threw my stuff for weeks on end, until I was at a point that my walls were bare, my drawers were empty and my closets were desolate. The day of my garage sale it was a nice 90 degree hot and humid day - I was up before seven and was outside unveiling my goods. There were more people showing up at the "pre-shop" time than I ever thought. I was getting angry because people were going through my boxes before I even got to unpack. I remember getting testy at people asking me questions of items that they were searching for, "Excuse me, do have the pre-war glasses?" My knee jerk reply was something like "NO.. Do you see the pre-war glasses? Come back later, maybe something will show up". But what was getting me even more mad was not the early shoppers, but rather the "bargain hunters". I sat in my apartment for weeks and packed these boxes, I priced each item - at what I thought to be reasonable and fairly cheap. How dare they even attempt to bargain with me. If I had something priced at $2.00 - the first price I was offered was $.50 !
Within four or five hours of this sort of abuse - I just about had it. I was NOT the garage sale type of gal that would sit in this blistering heat and be taunted by people getting the best of me. I remember this one poor man that got out of his car and made a bee-line right to a pair of Sterling Silver earrings that was priced $5.00. He looked over the earrings and then yelled out to me "I'll give you $.25!"
I replied - " HUH??? ARE you kidding me, look at the price SIR".
"OK, $1.50".
"NO - put the item down", I said...
"OK, $3.00".
Finally after having to deal with more people trying to bargain and beat me down, I could no longer handle this. I remember going over to the man and taking the earrings out of his hand and telling him "NOW - its $25.00 for you and I and NOT bargaining". I was serious - he annoyed me to no end. I decided that even if he did offer to pay me the ridiculous amount that I ordered, HE was NOT getting the item. He insulted me enough and I am not going to play with him anymore.
Why am I talking about a garage sale? Because, I have had more than 7 offers on 7 different properties this past week, which were all by builders and all the properties were reasonably priced. I am finding that everyone wants to pay the cheapest and sell for the most. Fellas - it won't work that way.
All my offers are below - and I mean way below asking price (seller asking 2 Million - offered less than a million). I have had more than one builder tell me that they will give me a "gift" if I get this for them. OK, but - number one - that is illegal. Number two - I am embarrassed to submit that offer. If this was my seller and I got an offer like you are trying to submit - I would deny the offer without a counter offer. 
Here is the thing - my job is to negotiate. I will negotiate to win - and I am good at it. I know what to say, how to say it and trust me I stick with it - if the offer is good and the terms are good. I will get you a property if the offer is REASONABLE. Which none of my seven offers were even close to good.
Now, I have worked with low ball offers and these were not low ball offers - These were off the chart rude offers. I can tell you, the only time that I see low ball offers work is if:
- The property has been on the market for longer than a 6 or 7 month span.
- The original asking price been lowered more than twice and more than $100,00o within a short period of time.
- If the property vacant or distressed.
- The owner is desperate to sell.
Which none of these factors existed with my builder's offers. The properties that they were bidding on were what I consider to be "hot properties", they were only on the market for less than a week and none of the sellers were desperate to sell.
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