Upping Your Game at the Negotiating Table

Here are three tips to help you negotiate in the high-end market.

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Today I want to talk about a few points that involve negotiating. I just read the book “Selling Luxury Homes” by Jack Cotton. It's a great text for people who want to work in the high-end market. Many of the themes about negotiating high-end properties are also very relevant to negotiating an everyday home.

The three main points that Jack points out in the chapter on the best negotiating strategies are:

1. Negotiate from a standpoint of preeminence. Preeminence is basically what an agent will develop after decades of being involved with working with high net-income individuals or families who are dealing with an estate. These families often need someone who has expertise that's been developed over time by having negotiated several hundred million dollars worth of transactions. This brings preeminence to the table. This allows the agent to be emotionally uninvolved and unattached to the outcome and to enable the process to unfold in a way that will meet the needs of the client.

Many of the themes about negotiating high-end properties are also very relevant to negotiating an everyday home.
 
2. Don't assume that you know the needs of the other party in any negotiation. The best way for an agent to dissect what the real needs are for a client is to find out all of the details associated not only with pricing and commission but marketing strategies, timetables, and what the end result is going to be. For example, in an estate, is the way the process pans out going to affect one party, or is it going to affect an entire family? It's important to understand and not assume that every client is going to behave in the same way with regard to pricing, negotiation strategy, and a bottom line.

3. Be completely detached from the outcome.
When negotiating for a family, it's critical to understand that the family is going through a crisis. In many cases, this is because the negotiation process is not something that they do all the time. Understand that it's a process that can be grueling. People are oftentimes dealing with a tremendous amount of money and the stress associated with what's going to happen on the other side of the transaction.

If you have any questions, thoughts, or concerns regarding the negotiating process, please feel free to reach out to me via phone or email. Let us know what we can do to make your dream come true. Have a great day, and we will see you next time.

Our Latest Real Estate Market Update

Here are the latest news and notes from our local real estate market.

Selling your Massachusetts home? Get a home value report
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The real estate market is currently experiencing a boom. Our clients have seen many showings, multiple offers, and increased sale prices—much more than expected. The average sale-to-list-price ratio is about 99% right now. Both inventory levels and days on market are at 20-year lows.

Mortgage rates are at 50-year lows—though they’re slightly increasing, so we’re keeping an eye on them. We currently have a list of buyers who are ready to purchase and just waiting for new homes to hit the market. So if you’re considering selling your house, now is the time. Your property is worth much more than you think it is.

If you have any questions or would like a complimentary comparative market analysis, please feel free to reach out to us via phone or email. We would love to be your real estate resource.